


Hidden Powers

by RowanandKatrina



Series: Powers Saga [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bloodbending, Combustionbending, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-29 11:32:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 89,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8487709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanandKatrina/pseuds/RowanandKatrina
Summary: It's the most closely guarded secret in the Fire Nation: Firelord Izumi and her father are two of the most powerful bloodbenders in the world. But with Harmonic Convergence awakening all sorts of new benders, Korra needs someone to train her in the dangerous technique or she doesn't stand a chance. While technically a sequel to Switched Powers, this fic is designed to stand on its own. As long as you're willing to suspend disbelief that Zuko's a bloodbender (and has been for most of his life), you can consider the first story a fun (but not entirely necessary) backstory.





	1. A Friendly Visit

_Setting: The Southern Water Tribe, AG 172_

Zuko reached out towards the roaring fire. He felt no warmth from it; only the sensation that the heat improved the circulation in his hands. Which, at his age, wasn't a bad thing. 

It was Chief Tonraq and his wife Senna who had opened their home to him on his visit to the Southern Water Tribe, but it was Katara who'd insisted on seeing him first. Not far down the hallway was Korra's room. She was sleeping, of course. At least, Zuko sincerely hoped she was at his time of night. Or early morning, as it had happened to be when his ship had finally docked. 

Katara slipped another log into the fireplace in silence. She'd insisted on starting the flames herself, even when the flint was proving stubborn. He was the guest, after all. Asking him to firebend for their convenience would have just been rude. 

As Zuko watched the flames dance, his eyes fixated on the base of the fire. The place where, if only for brief seconds, he could see glimpses of blue. 

"So," Katara said, interrupting his wandering thoughts. "Is this a friendly visit or a diplomatic one?"

Zuko had to shake his head a bit to orient himself back in the present. His finger twitched, pulling his hands back to his lap. "Both," he finally answered. "Officially, Izumi requested that I ask if Harmonic Convergence revealed any new benders in the Southern Water Tribe."

Katara picked up the fireplace poker as he spoke, nudging the logs around without much rhyme or reason. "No new airbenders; Korra asked me that months ago." 

"I assumed as much." 

Katara seemed satisfied that the fire wasn't going to spontaneously shut itself down and pulled the poker back from the flames. A log shifted, sending a splattering of sparks onto the hearth. 

"One of our nonbenders did become a waterbender, though," she added on. "Oh, and we got one... well, technically three earthbenders."

"'Technically'?" Zuko asked. 

"Well, two of them can metalbend, so I guess you'd call them earthbenders," Katara said. "But ask them to move even a little rock, and they just can't do it." 

"Really?" Zuko asked. It didn't totally surprise him. They'd found a couple new swampbenders in the Northern Water Tribe who were completely unable to bend water on its own. They were all wealthy kids who, when their abilities were confirmed, insisted there was no way they were going to leave their homes and travel to some disgusting swamp out in the Earth Kingdom. They had to be assured quite a few times that no one was actually asking them to leave. 

"And what about the Fire Nation?" Katara asked, with a bit of a tease in that old voice of hers. "You have people who can make lightning but not fire over there now?"

"No," Zuko answered, his eyes darting away from Katara and back to the fire. "We've got bloodbenders." He tried to say the word quickly, so she didn't get too upset with him, but he saw her, _sensed_ her, stiffening all the same. He had to shift this conversion. "I also found... well, I'm not sure what you would call her. I was giving a talk in Hira'a, and... I encountered someone who could stop my bending."

"Stop your bending?" Katara asked, her muscles relaxing as curiosity overtook her. "Like what Amon did to Korra and Lin?"

Zuko shook his head. "Nothing like that. She never even touched me. My bending worked when I was far enough away from her, and stopped when she got too close."

Katara was giving him a look like he was going senile on her. As if he would let himself lose his wits before she did. "When you say your bending stopped..."

"I mean I fell face-down onto the stage. It was very embarrassing." He intended it to be humorous, but Katara just stared straight-faced at him. He cleared his throat and continued, "Her name is Nanami. She calls herself a voidbender. And she didn't have the ability before Harmonic Convergence."

Katara cleared her throat as well. "You sure she's not using some form of... _that_ technique?" she asked. 

"If it was, don't you think I would have resisted it? I've been able to overcome chi blocking, and certainly no bloodbender has ever gotten the best of me. I think this is genuinely new form of bending."

Any curiosity in Katara's face was gone now. She'd always been like that. Bring up bloodbending, and she went from the happy and friendly woman he usually knew to someone he barely recognized at all. "Interesting. So what's the other reason you came?" she finally asked. 

Zuko groaned inwardly. If she was uptight before, his next words were hardly going to smooth things over. "I wanted to talk about Korra." 

She didn't answer him. A bad sign. 

"Katara, it's been months, " he went on, "and correct me if I'm wrong, but Korra isn't seeing much progress. I know it's not the ideal option, but maybe it's time you let me--"

"I'm handling her healing," Katara snapped. 

Zuko gritted his teeth. First she refused to answer and now she was interrupting him? Fine. If she was going to resort to childish tactics, then so could he. "Oh, and that's going marvelously well, isn't it?" 

She grunted at him. For the love of Sozin, why did she have to be so stubborn? Her failure to heal him after Azula's lightning strike had been one of the biggest failures in her career as a physician. She'd called it as much, too. As if Zuko's only shot at happiness was her performing a medical miracle. Katara meant well, but sometimes she thought far too highly of herself. 

"Healing takes time, Zuko," she finally said. "Don't go pressuring Korra. She's had enough of that."

"If I wanted to pressure Korra, I'd speak to her," Zuko replied. "But I'm speaking to you. You know it would help. And it doesn't have to be permanent." It wasn't his smartest argument. Those words had been said before. Katara's voice got quiet, and Zuko's fingers twitched again as he leaned his body forward to hear her. 

"'Doesn't have to be permanent?'" she whispered. "I said that to Aang right after Azula struck you. Seems like seventy years of you borrowing a bit of my bending is pretty permanent." 

Zuko wanted to answer that it was hardly borrowing. After all, she'd hated bloodbending from the moment she'd learned it. Probably would have just told Zuko he could keep it, even if there _had_ come a point in his life that he didn't need it anymore. But sometimes life just didn't work according to plan. 

Zuko shook his head. "Look, let's not argue about how long Korra might need bloodbe--" 

Katara coughed loudly. 

"...might need _that_ technique to help her get around. There's defensive reasons to consider." He brought his voice back up to normal speaking levels. As long as Katara was going to cough through anything questionable, no point in making his voice hoarse through all that whispering. "Let her learn it. It's a useful skill for her to--"

"It will never be a 'useful skill,'" Katara said. 

Zuko gave up. Not that he'd expected the conversation to go anywhere, but he at least thought he'd be able to get a few words in. But this was the one topic he and Katara would never agree on. It broke down their friendship and brought them back to where they were barely speaking to each other. Like when Zuko first joined their team all those years ago.

Katara noticed it, too. He could see the disappointment in her eyes as yet another one of their conversations dissolved into this stupid argument. This was usually the point where she started talking about something like the weather, or how the latest litter of polar bear pups was doing, or--

"I'm sorry."

"Pardon?" Zuko straightened, unsure if his ears were playing tricks on him in his old age.

Katara fingered the fur trim of her coat with her weathered hands. "I said that I'm sorry," she repeated quietly. "I know you're trying to help her. And I know my... feelings on that technique have hurt you. And your family."

Well, that was disarming. Zuko didn't even know where to begin with an answer to that. Every time this topic had come up, over all the years they had grown apart, his best moments of peace with Katara had come when they'd switched subjects as quickly as possible. He had no method planned for dealing with a straight-up apology. How could she put him in a spot like this? Now he just had to say whatever came into his head, and that was apt to simply come out sounding moronic. 

"It's... you did what you felt was right," Zuko said. "I wasn't exactly... empathetic myself back then." Yes, Zuko mentally confirmed, "moronic" was the perfect description for his fumbling words right now. In spite of that, though (or maybe even because of it), Katara gave him a smile. It had been such a long time since he'd seen the expression on her, probably just as long since he'd worn the expression himself. 

"You can... you should go visit her tomorrow," Katara said. "Korra, I mean. I think it will do her good to see someone besides me. But please, _please_ don't bring up this topic with her. Can you promise me that?"

He wanted so badly to answer yes. That was all it would take to put their friendship back in place. Give Katara this one concession after all the times he'd yelled and screamed at her that she was wrong. Let her be right just this once. Daybreak was on the horizon; the first beams of light hit Katara's back, making her look angelic against the world of snow beyond the windowpane. 

Zuko smiled back at her, but he knew it was brief and insincere. Korra still remained in her room, struggling every day with her attempts to walk again. Failing every day. How did that affect a young woman like Korra, who was used to being so skilled with everything, with so little effort? If it hadn't broken her already, it would soon. Zuko wouldn't allow it. He'd go in to visit the Avatar tomorrow. Maybe he could reassure himself that he'd been overreacting, that she was clearly on the road to recovery. But somehow, he had a nagging doubt in his stomach. 

"I'll do my best," he finally said and watched with a heavy heart as Katara's smile faded.


	2. Korra's Teacher

Korra stirred in the middle of the night. She was pretty sure she'd heard arguing. No one argued in her dreams. Either she didn't remember them at all or she dreamed of someone trying to kill her. Her brain didn't have much middle ground. 

"Oh, and that's going marvelously well, isn't it?" The voice was sarcastic. Elderly, too. She thought at first it belonged to Zuko, but that didn't make any sense. He had traveled back to the Fire Nation weeks ago. He had no reason to suddenly change course and show up at the Southern Water Tribe again. But then--

"Healing takes time, Zuko. Don't go pressuring Korra. She's had enough of that."

 _Thanks, Katara,_ Korra thought. 

She heard the light thump of someone laying their hand against the wall. "If I wanted to pressure Korra, I'd speak to her," Zuko replied. "But I'm speaking to you." His voice suddenly got lower. "You know it would help. And it doesn't have to be permanent."

Whatever Katara said after that, Korra couldn't hear. Both of them had gotten down to a hushed whisper, with the most distinct sound being a random cough. Korra leaned forward in bed, trying to breathe as quietly as possible, until Zuko's voice finally came back to normal levels. 

"Let her learn it. It's a useful skill for her to--"

"It will never be a 'useful skill,'" Katara snapped. That was more than a little unnerving. So far, during their therapy sessions, Korra had cursed at Katara, called all her healing techniques useless and stupid, and basically dished out a whole bunch of crap that would've made any normal person punch her in the face by now. Katara always came back with that calm, reassuring voice of hers. Korra didn't think the woman was even capable of getting angry. Apparently, she was wrong. 

"...go visit her tomorrow," Katara finally said, after another barrage of whispers. "Korra, I mean. I think it will do her good to see someone besides me. But please, _please_ don't bring up this topic with her. Can you promise me that?"

"I'll do my best," Zuko replied, after a strangely long pause. Then his footsteps moved down the hallway and faded away. 

There was something inherent in Korra that hated being told no to anything. Once as a kid, she had kept her room spotless for months after her dad expressly forbade her from cleaning it. She'd only stopped when she'd finally caught on to his tactics and kept her guard up against all forms of cleanliness after that. 

But no one had meant for her to overhear this time. So whatever it was that Katara had told Zuko not to talk about, Korra wanted that to be the first part of their conversation tomorrow.

\----

The next morning, Korra shoved her collection of (mostly unanswered) letters into her drawer first thing. Katara had seen them a few times and asked her once if she'd replied. Korra had answered, "Yes, of course", which was not a total lie, as she _had_ answered Asami once. Still, she'd stopped keeping the letters in eyesight anytime she expected company. That went double for someone like Zuko, who knew her past self so well. 

_I'll bet Aang always kept in touch with his friends._ Korra's arm felt heavy as she shoved the dresser drawer shut. Even though she knew the poison was gone from her, it was like her muscles never got that message. A knock came at the door.

"Come in," she grunted, trying to position herself so that it didn't look like she'd been about the faceplant onto the floor. A creak of hinges, and then Zuko appeared at the door. 

"How are you feeling?" he asked, pulling up a chair to her bedside. 

"Okay," she replied before he'd finished his sentence. She'd answered that question so many times now, she didn't even hear herself speak the words anymore. It was like "hello" or "good morning", the opening of the conversation each person had to spit out to each other before any real talk could happen. 

She sat up and straightened against the head of the bed. Best to be blunt right off the bat. "What were you and Katara talking about last night?"

Zuko's bushy white eyebrow raised in surprise. His knobby fingers twitched and he shifted uneasily in his chair. "We were... talking about you," he finally said. 

Korra wanted to scream. "I know that," she said. "I meant, what were you saying about me. You were discussing some kind of... treatment." 

If Zuko had looked nervous before, this statement doubled the effect. Korra was a bit worried he might just stand up and leave. Thankfully, he didn't. His fingers still twitched quite a bit, though, and he reached up and massaged his temples. 

"Why don't you tell me how much you heard and I'll fill you in where I can?" he suggested. 

That seemed fair enough to Korra. She repeated the conversation, as much as she could remember, and Zuko nodded thoughtfully at each point as if he had just been hearing it for the first time himself. 

"So?" Korra asked when she'd reached the end and Zuko still hadn't said anything. 

The old man shrugged. "So what?" he asked. 

Korra groaned. Did she have to spell everything out? Zuko might've been getting on in years, but he wasn't senile. "So, what is the useful skill that you and Katara were going on about?"

Zuko's gaze fell to the ground. She had to admit, she felt a bit guilty. Whatever it was, Katara had told him not to talk about it, after all, and here she was demanding he break his promise what, a whole twelve hours later? She had to admit though, she was relieved to see him meet her eyes again. "Well, I suppose Katara can't hold it against me if I simply answered your question. The skill we were 'going on about' was bloodbending." 

Korra froze. There was no smile on Zuko's face as he said it, and now she knew why. 

"You... you wanted me to learn bloodbending?"

"That was my suggestion, yes." 

_I was wrong. The old man's gone completely insane._ "The same thing that Amon used to take people's bending away? The same thing that Yakone and Tarrlok used to manipulate and terrify people? _That's_ what you thought I should learn?"

Just like Katara, Zuko showed no offence at her insults. He actually nodded like they were marvelously insightful. "As I said, it was merely a suggestion. You seem to take Katara's point of view on the matter. She'll be happy to know that."

Korra leaned back in her bed. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "To be honest, it's not anything I ever thought about before." 

"Let me be clear," Zuko said, fingers twitching once again as he leaned forward. "I think the ability is horrifically easy to abuse. I would trust it to very few people, especially ones your age. But I would trust you." 

Korra nodded to acknowledge him, but couldn't think how to answer. Zuko wasn't an evil person. If he brought up the idea, she was pretty sure he meant it in the best possible way. She tried to work her mind around the images she had of bloodbending, tried to imagine using it not to hurt people, but to get her feet to do what she wanted for a change. 

"You think it would... get me walking again?"

"In my very non-medical opinion, I believe it would aid the process, yes. I wouldn't expect you to stop your therapy, of course," his voice got stern there, almost like Korra was getting scolded, "but I think getting out and about would help you immensely. You've been in here too long." 

_Tell me about it,_ Korra thought. It wasn't like she couldn't leave. Heck, if she asked it, the whole village would probably march out and parade her wherever it was she felt like going. But that was just the problem. She didn't want to need anyone. She'd had enough of that. Her eyes fell to the wall she'd pinned a few photos of her friends, too. She'd meant to fill it with lots more, but then the idea of seeing just how many photos accumulated while she refused to write everyone felt more depressing than anything else. 

"Well, I guess the whole conversation is kind of moot," she said. "If Katara won't teach me, there's not really anything I can do." 

Now, strangely enough, Zuko smiled. "Well, Katara wouldn't be your teacher," he said. 

"Huh?" Korra wracked her brain trying to think who else Zuko could be talking about. Maybe Tarrlok had secretly taught bloodbending to Unalaq, Desna, and Eska? The thought of learning anything from the twins made her shudder. No matter how much they'd denounced their father, it didn't change the fact that Eska had tried to kill her. 

_Zuko tried to kill your past self, too, idiot,_ she reminded herself. Then curiosity got the better of her. "Okay, um... who would be my teacher then? In theory, of course?"

"Of course," Zuko said. Then the smile faded from his face. Whatever name he was about to give, he seemed very hesitant to let it go. "I would," he finally said. 

She must've heard that wrong. "Um, you would?"

He nodded. "That's correct." 

"Okay, um, no offense, Zuko, sir, but I... don't see how you would be able to do that. I mean, you know, the firebending and everything?"

"Ah, yes," the old man said, as if he'd completely forgotten that. "Well, I have your past self to thank for keeping that ability." He sat there watching her, hands folded on his lap, not giving the least indication that any of this was a joke. 

"You're serious," Korra finally said. 

"I generally am. Character flaw ever since my teenage years, I'm afraid." 

Korra scowled. She'd had quite enough of vague answers and whatever this game Zuko was playing was all about. 

"Okay, prove it." She crossed her arms. "Use bloodbending on me."

He looked nervously at the floor. Figured. "Katara tells me you're... having issues dealing with the trauma of some of your past battles."

The words felt like someone jabbing at Korra with needles. Annoying in one or two blows. Really painful by the time she'd dealt with them a million times. "Oh, no," she said. "No. You are not going to become one more person who tells me they don't want to push me too hard. You said you could bloodbend, and you knew I wouldn't believe you, so you obviously came in here expecting to do it." 

"I came in here excepting you hadn't heard any of that conversation last night," Zuko said. "Then I expected that once I told you, you'd have the same reaction Katara did and we would end it there. I _expected_ this conversation to be over a good five minutes ago." 

He had a point there. Not that she would say so. "Well, you're wrong, and it didn't. So either prove you can do it or get out." _And let me sit around doing absolutely nothing again._

Zuko's eyes darted back and forth as he seemed to wrestle with himself. "I have ground rules," he finally said, more serious than she'd ever heard him before. (And that was saying a lot for Zuko.) "No one uses the technique on anything other than the person they're training with. You announce clearly what you plan on doing and confirm the other person is all right with that. So, in this case," he pointed to Korra's still-crossed arms, "I'm going to uncross your arms and let your hands rest on your knees. Is that fine with you?"

"Um, sure, it's fine," Korra said, tightening up her arms a bit.

Zuko nodded. "Very well, then." His fingers twitched and he rotated his wrist by the smallest fraction. But then, in perfect sync, Korra felt like her arms were floating. Without any signal from her, they uncrossed just as Zuko had said, and both her hands came to rest palms down on her knees. Then, suddenly, the floating sensation left her, and she felt their weight once again. 

"H-how?" She couldn't even think of what to say. She'd seen Zuko firebend countless times. How was this even possible? Did Aang somehow have the ability to just grant extra bending at will? She'd never come close to doing anything like that. 

"Korra? Korra!" She looked over to see Zuko's eyes wide, his skin growing pale. "Korra, are you all right?" he asked. 

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said quickly, holding up her hands as if to prove they still worked as normal. "I'm sorry, it just... really took me by surprise." She shook her head, going over the memory in her head once more. "It was strange. It didn't feel like when Amon or Tarrlok used it on me. I mean, it was weird, don't get me wrong, but..." she lifted her hands, searching for the right word. "It didn't feel like an attack." 

Zuko nodded, clearly relieved. "It makes sense. Amon and his brother were sloppy. And they both had very little practice." 

"Um, how much practice have you had, sir?"'

"Well, I imagine only slightly less practice than Toph has had with seismic sensing," he said. Then his finger twitched again and he lifted his hand as if holding something up for her to see. "Katara told you about our battle with Azula, I assume?"

"Um, which one?"

"Fair point. Our Agni Kai for the throne during Sozin's Comet."

Korra nodded, and Zuko continued, "Azula struck me with her lightning during that battle and I failed to redirect it properly. Since then, this," he rotated his wrist and his hand came to rest on his lap once again, "has been my only way of moving any muscle below my neck. Psychic bloodbending allows me the use of my hands, which in turn, allows me to perform more complicated maneuvers."

Another flicker of movement from his fingers and he raised his left arm, opening his hand to create a small flame. He then extinguished the flame and lowered his hands onto his lap once again. 

"Aang was the one who transferred Katara's ability to me. I can't use any other form of waterbending, and she can no longer use bloodbending." He looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Though I'd venture to say, she hasn't missed it terribly much." 

Korra was stunned. She could barely stutter out her words. "Y-you're moving through bloodbending?" 

"Correct." 

"For seventy years?"

"Has it been that long? Well, then, yes, I suppose so." 

Korra shook her head, reconsidering the idea that maybe this conversation and last night's conversations were both crazy dreams. Or that Bolin had snuck her something tainted with cactus juice. He'd suggested that as an energy booster once. She'd been cautious of any edibles he sent her way ever since. 

"Hang on," she said, struggling for a hole in Zuko's story. "Bloodbending's been banned for decades. You were there when Katara banned it."

"More than that," he said. "I was on the council that voted to ban it." He finally seemed to sense that his vague answers were about to drive Korra completely insane and added, "I had the dissenting opinion."

Korra shook her head. At this point, she didn't care if something was insane or not. She wasn't even sure she would care if this whole thing turned out to be a juice-induced hallucination after all. If Zuko's plan had even the tiniest fraction of chance to help her, she planned to take it. 

"All right, then. Let's do this." 

"Now, hold on just a moment," said Zuko, putting his hands up as if in defense. "You asked who would've been your teacher, and I answered your question. I never said I would--"

"Never said you would what? Actually teach me when I asked?"

"I--I--" Zuko sighed. "Korra, to put it in even the nicest terms, if I teach you bloodbending specifically against your doctor's orders, Katara will have my neck."

"Katara's not the Avatar," said Korra. She pounded the bedside table. She'd pounded it many times growing up, and it always gave a good strong crack. This time, however, her weakened punch sounded more like a muffled thump. "Katara's not the Avatar," Korra repeated. "She's there to make suggestions, but I should decide what treatment I try. And I want to try this. Please." 

She watched Zuko's face soften. 

"I imagine your father won't be fond of this either," he said. "And if word of this gets to him, I'm sure my welcome at the Southern Water Tribe will be quickly worn out."

 _Oh, I didn't think of that._ Korra felt a bit guilty about that. Okay, more than a bit. 

But then Zuko smiled. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time in my life I've been unwelcome here. I suppose if I've been allowed back after nearly burning the place down, I might still have a chance after teaching the Avatar some illegal bending." He stood up. "Let's begin your first lesson."


	3. Unwelcome

"Bloodbending is largely a matter of keeping the body under your influence moving." Zuko had not been joking about starting their lessons right away. Korra was out of bed now, sitting in chair identical to Zuko's, the two of them facing each other in the center of the room. Other than that, though, nothing had changed. 

Zuko held his hand open and created a small flame. It danced between his fingertips. Korra reached out a shaky hand and she could feel its warmth. Zuko lowered the flame into her waiting fingers gently, like someone passing over a baby hamster seal for her to hold. She cradled it. 

"You must maintain a certain amount of firebending to keep the flame lit," he explained. "The same holds true for bloodbending. Drop your concentration and you could do some serious damage." He waved his hand and the warm flame vanished from between Korra's fingers. All that remained was a puff of smoke. 

"Got it. Don't think about other stuff too much. I can handle that," she said. 

Zuko nodded. "My... last student hated these sorts of analogies. She wasn't a firebender, so she said they did nothing but confuse her." 

Korra shrugged. She wanted to know who his last student was, how many students he'd had exactly, but decided not to ask. "Well, you've got an advantage teaching the Avatar, then," she said. "What's next?" 

Zuko turned out to be not that different from many of her other teachers. Namely, he was fond of talking about the theory of something long before he let her have any real experience with it. He gave incredibly long and inane lectures about the structure of the human body. Within a couple days, Korra had memorized the names of more muscle groups than she knew pro-bending teams. 

"When you're aiming to defend yourself, focus on the leg muscles and arm muscles," Zuko told her during one lesson. "It will stop your opponent from bending and it's far easier than trying to focus on the entire body." 

"If that's true, then why teach me all this other stuff?" Korra asked. She was feeling particularly annoyed that day. Zuko had scolded her for forgetting where the soleus muscle was and Bolin had been worrying in his last letter if she had moved to Air Temple Island without telling anyone. She really needed to write him back on that. 

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her. "You need to know exactly what you're holding in your hands when you use this technique," he said sharply. Then he shook his head. She knew that look. Tenzin gave it to her all the time, especially when they were doing meditation exercises. It was the look that said, "Korra is completely hopeless and will never get this right." Usually it only made her more determined to try again, but in this case, it felt like a crushing blow. She could only take so much failure. 

Zuko's eyes softened. "Perhaps my point would be better made with a demonstration," he said. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to attempt to hold your breath." 

"'Attempt?'" Korra asked. She knew she'd been failing a lot lately, but at least that seemed doable. 

Zuko nodded. "With your permission, I am going to make your lungs move against your attempts. Is that acceptable to you?" 

Korra felt a cold sweat form over her, but nodded anyway. "Y-yes. That's acceptable." She then did as Zuko had asked, took a long breath, and held it. Or tried to, anyway. As soon as she tightened the muscles in her lungs, she felt them instantly relax. The breath came out as a slow, relaxing exhale that would have let her pass any of Tenzin's breathing exercises with ease. Her lungs filled with air and exhaled slowly once more before she found she could control the muscles as normal again. 

"You've mastered firebending," Zuko said. "You know how dangerous it is, how quickly it can get out of control. This is so much more. You cradle a person's very life when you use bloodbending. Never forget that." 

\---- 

Over the next few weeks, Zuko finally began to let Korra attempt some actual bloodbending. It was much more work than she thought, like going to pick up a hand weight that looked so small and easy only to find out it weighed as much as an polar bear dog. 

"And you do this every day?" Korra asked when she'd failed to keep her arm aloft for more than a few seconds. It had been very tempting just to lift the arm with her own muscles, but somehow she had a feeling that wouldn't help her train and Zuko would probably notice. 

"Well, I was rather pathetic at it to begin with," Zuko said with a laugh. "Katara and Mai had to walk me through my coronation. A bit embarrassing in retrospect, I suppose, but I really was doing the best I could at the time." 

"'Mai?'" Korra asked. "Who's that?" 

Zuko stopped smiling for a moment and gazed into the distance, looking every bit of his ninety years. "Izumi's mother," he clarified quietly. "She died quite young. The history books tend not to mention her." 

"I'm so sorry," Korra said quickly and went back to practice. 

\---- 

"Now... picture yourself walking towards Naga." 

Korra gripped the bars at either side of her, feeling the metal press into her skin, so tight it could have been grinding into her palm for all she knew. Katara's voice was soft and patient as always. Korra mostly ignored the words and focused on the tone, picturing the reassurances like a soft gentle music behind her. 

She had this. She was sure of it. Every day that she practiced with Zuko, she felt her confidence creeping back into her. She'd even taken a few steps on her own. Of course, that had largely been because she'd been using bloodbending to assist her, so in her mind, it didn't quite count. Not yet, anyway. 

But today was the day. Today she'd finally take those steps on her own. She imagined Katara's proud face, the look of happiness on her mother and father's faces as well. And she imagined Naga. Warm, soft Naga, waiting loyally for her at the end of this short walk. Just a few more steps. It didn't matter that each of them felt like they were attached to something twice her weight. Just a few more steps... 

Her foot slipped. It had slipped in practice with Zuko many times before, and she'd always caught herself. The trouble was the method she used to catch herself. Without giving a second thought as to where she was, Korra motioned with her hand. Her foot steadied itself and she kept walking. At last, Korra felt the knob at the end of each bar and opened her eyes. There was Naga, panting happily. For a second, for the briefest most wonderful second, Korra felt all her frustrations so far vanish, her arms and legs felt their normal weight again as she fell onto Naga's furry chest. The polar bear dog nuzzled her. 

Then the happy moment faded. "You caught yourself," Katara observed. She did not sound happy. 

"Yeah, isn't that a good thing?" Korra asked, turning to face her teacher. Maybe she walked perfectly on her own, but she'd gotten most of the way there. _Please don't take this victory away from me,_ she thought. _I need it more than ever right now._

"What have you and Zuko been talking about when he visits?" Katara said sharply. 

"He tells me what's going on in the world. The guy's been practically everywhere." 

"Korra, I might not have seismic sensing, but I can tell when you're lying. Zuko taught you bloodbending, didn't he?" 

"Only a little," Korra retorted, and of course, immediately regretted it. 

Katara's face hardened. "I don't blame you for wanting a shortcut, Korra. But there's nothing good that can come of learning that awful technique. Zuko knows that. He shouldn't have even mentioned it to you, let alone given you lessons." 

"I asked him for those lessons!" Korra snapped. It was getting hard to stand now; her legs felt shaky. Still, she leaned on Naga and kept on her feet. "And obviously some good can come from it, because Zuko uses it all the time." 

She thought it was a pretty good argument, but Katara seemed to disagree. "Zuko uses bloodbending because he needs to. It's not the same--" 

"Maybe that's what I need, too!" Korra snapped. "I don't understand you at all, Katara! I finally walked across a room today, and you're acting like I did something wrong." 

Katara shook her head sadly. "Listen to me. I believe that the best possible solution is the one that gets you moving as much as you can on your own, without the need for any bloodbending at all. The second Zuko can't bend, he collapses. Is that what you want?" 

"When could he not bend?" Korra asked. She could think of times when waterbending would be weakened, but no time when it would vanish completely. Katara winced a bit, as if she'd said something she really hadn't meant to. 

"Never mind," she said. At least, she walked over and brought Korra's wheelchair to her. Korra tried to make it look like she could've gone without it, but relief surged through her quivering muscles as she sat down. "I'll be frank," Katara said quietly. "I understand your reasoning, and I don't hold it against you. But I won't have that power used here. If you plan to bloodbend again, you'll have to finish the recovery process on your own. I'm also going to make sure Zuko heads back to the Fire Nation as soon as possible." 

"What?" Korra was totally on board with everything Katara was saying right up until that last line. "Katara, it's not Zuko's fault. I asked him to. He didn't even want to tell me any--" 

"It's not up for discussion," Katara said. Korra grunted in response and wheeled herself out of the room.


	4. The Avatar Returns

Kuvira was defeated. Everyone knew it had been coming. The Earth Kingdom was too vast, too varied, too enormous for even the great uniter to pull it together. But Eli didn't really care about the Earth Kingdom's fate. His only disappointment lay in the fact that Kuvira had not had the chance to turn her great weapon on the Fire Nation. For all the crimes of its past, why had that not been her first target? The woman was a fool and deserved her fate. 

But no matter. He would deal with the Fire Nation himself. He'd pay it back for all the pain it caused, no matter how long it took. He smiled with the thought and turned back to his task at hand. 

His subject sat tied to a chair, head ducked down as if that would protect him. Eli's son, Eagon, stood nearby. At Eli's nod, Eagon cracked his whip and made a sudden, satisfying crack, and the howl that followed it was even sweeter. Eagon hadn't even struck that time, just terrified the quivering man so much that the room now stank of urine.

"Now, I will ask you one more time," Eli said. "We know you've traveled with Lord Zuko countless times. He's got to have a weakness. I want to know what it is." 

"Nothing," the man cried. "I never saw any weakness." The whip cracked again, still hitting nothing and still igniting the same agonizing cry as if it had. 

"M-maybe one time... but it was years ago."

"One time?" Eli's mouth watered. This was exactly the breakthrough he'd been hoping for. "What are you talking about? Explain, now!" 

"I don't know what happened!" the sniveling man sputtered out. "We went to visit this one village... this girl came and sat down in the front row of the meeting... and Lord Zuko collapsed. I... don't know what she did to him, exactly. He was fine afterwards. That's all I know. I swear, that's all I know!" 

Eli grinned and nodded at Eagon to ready the whip again. "Tell me more. Where you were, what you know about this girl. I want to hear everything."

\----

Korra arrived at her meeting with Lin Beifong about as happy as she knew how to be. She'd finally gotten a well-deserved vacation, Asami's business was doing better than ever, the Earth Kingdom was stable, and if Varrick announced this afternoon that he'd invented joy in a bottle, she'd completely believe him. 

_Probably he'd call it "Varrick-Joy"_ , she thought. " _Only twelve hundred an ounce, people! Don't miss out on these bargain prices!"_

She laughed at her own joke, leaving Asami looking confused. 

"Did... I miss something?" she asked. 

"Nothing, nothing," Korra assured her. 

Asami still gave her a skeptical look but pressed the matter no further. The two bid good-bye, and Korra entered the meeting hall.

She'd been the last one to arrive, evidenced by her taking the last seat at the table. General Iroh sat at the table's head. Lin was beside him and, to Korra's surprise, Toph was there, too. Maybe this was serious. In truth, she had no idea why she'd been called here. General Iroh had just said it was very important and they needed the Avatar to attend. She'd made her best attempts to glean from his tone what he meant, but seeing as how it was Iroh, she'd failed pretty badly on that. 

Even if it was something bad, she could handle it. She was the Avatar and this was the start of the rest of her completely awesome life. 

"Nice of you to join us, Avatar Korra," Lin said. 

Toph coughed loudly. 

"Fine, fine." Lin sighed and turned to Iroh. "An obligatory congratulations on the small helpless human who has now entered your family through the miracle of reproduction. Now if we can--"

"Y-you're a dad?" Korra stuttered. The whole table stared at her like this piece of info had been printed in every Republic City newspaper and only she could've been clueless enough to miss it. 

Iroh nodded. "Erm, yes, I am." 

"Since when?" Korra asked. 

"Since five months ago." 

"Hang on, so..." she counted out the months on her fingers, "your wife was expecting during our battle with Kuvira?" Korra suddenly realized that her voice had gotten far too loud, but she couldn't help it. There was no way she'd been this oblivious to Iroh's family life. 

"Erm, yes, she was, but calm down. It's not as if she was _in_ the battle with Kuvira." 

"I know that." Korra crossed her arms, wishing she could explain her thought process better. Having a wife at home with a child on the way. What had Iroh been thinking, being off in the middle of a war like that? Shouldn't he have been off doing... well, she didn't know what exactly. Some sort of dad-like things?

Korra lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I just can't believe I was standing there talking to you and didn't know."

"Yes, yes, congratulations all around," Lin said loudly, waving her hand. "Now, if you don't mind, we have some urgent issues to discuss." 

"Oh, everything's urgent to you," said Toph, leaning back in her chair. Lin pounded the table (as if that would prove the urgency of anything), but it was Iroh who finally brought the conversation back to its point. 

"Quite frankly, Korra, we've got some issues with new benders. Most of the citizens who acquired airbending from the spirits dealt with it in a healthy way. Many of them are training under Tenzin right now." 

Korra nodded her agreements with the facts that everyone knew and Iroh continued, "But the fact of the matter is that it wasn't just airbending that the spirits awakened in people. We're starting to see new benders of all sorts -- water, fire, and earth alike." 

"Well, that's... good. I think?" Korra said. 

"Iroh's dancing around the topic," Lin snapped. "These aren't just general earth or waterbenders. They know some very specialized techniques. And that's all they know." 

"So, wait. Metalbenders who can't earthbend?" 

Lin nodded. "Exactly. And lightning benders who can't firebend. And the part where we're having trouble right now. The bloodbenders." 

Korra felt a chill go down her spine, even though she was fairly sure the windows were all closed. Toph picked something out of her ear and tossed it on the ground. 

"You've got... new bloodbenders?" she asked. 

"Whole gangs of 'em," said Lin, crossing her arms. "Mostly in the United Republic and the Fire Nation. They don't seem limited to the full moon, and I've gotten reports that a few can even bloodbend in the daytime. I haven't seen that for myself, though." 

"None of our officers can handle them," Iroh said. "They can counteract just about anything we do. And I know my mother won't admit it, but her forces are strained as well. We were... hoping the Avatar would have a suggestion."

Korra breathed slowly. The most obvious opponent to a bloodbender, of course, was another bloodbender. Maybe she hadn't finished her training with Zuko, but she knew that much. "I'm not sure what help I would be," she said carefully. "Amon used bloodbending against me pretty easily." 

"And you kicked his butt just the same," said Toph. "Go figure." 

"I got lucky," Korra said. "Your best bet against bloodbending is someone who knows the technique themselves and can counteract it." 

"Oh, right. I'll just round up these gangsters and ask if any of them want to work for the police. I'm sure that will go over well," said Lin. 

"Hang on, hang on," said Iroh, waving his hand in the middle of the table to draw everyone's eyes. "Korra, doesn't Katara know bloodbending? I know it's technically illegal, but perhaps she would make an exception and teach you just enough to use for defensive purposes?"

Korra glanced around the table. Everyone was leaning forward to listen to her now. Even Toph. "Katara's the one who pushed to ban bloodbending to begin with," Korra said. "I can't imagine her making any exception to teach anybody. She... might not even remember how to do it anymore." It wasn't a total lie. Katara had not forgotten, but she couldn't do it anymore, just the same. Unfortunately, Zuko was back to traveling the world again, and Korra was at a loss for who else could teach her. Unless... 

_"My last student hated these sorts of analogies,"_ she remembered Zuko saying. _"She wasn't a firebender, so she said they did nothing but confuse her."_

So Zuko had had another student at some point. But who would it have been? Someone female. And not a firebender. _Well, obviously, not a firebender. Who besides Zuko, Katara and the Avatar would have two abilities at once?_

She glanced around the table again. Lin had taken to massaging her forehead, while Iroh was deep in thought, stroking his chin. Toph stared forward, yet seemed to be focused on Korra. 

"Hey," the old woman suddenly announced. "Why don't the two of you give me and Twinkle Toes some thinking time alone?"

"What are you going to do?" Lin asked skeptically. "Kick her around the room a bit until she gets an idea?"

"Now, if I did that and it actually worked, wouldn't you be so proud of your mother? Go on, now. Get out." 

Iroh shrugged his shoulders while Lin walked out the door with a dramatic sigh and insisting they would be back in just a few minutes. Only when the sound of their footsteps had completely faded did Toph turn to Korra and ask, "Okay, spill. Who do you have in mind to teach you?"

"I-I--" Korra stuttered. Toph had been leaning forward while she spoke, feet firmly planted on the floor. How could she have been so stupid as to miss that? "No one. I--"

"Liar." 

Korra groaned. What was she supposed to say? Sure, Toph probably knew about Zuko's power, but what if she didn't? Zuko had said it was a closely guarded secret, so maybe she shouldn't mention anything about--

"I think it's very sweet of you to try so hard to keep Zuko's secret," Toph said. "But give me some credit. I'm the one who first suggested that bloodbending might help him." 

Relief swept over Korra and she let out a long sigh. "Okay, good to know," she said. "But I don't know where Zuko is right now. He can't teach me if I can't talk to him." 

"I'm aware of that, but you're thinking of someone else, aren't you?"

Korra bit her lip and refused to answer. Whoever else Zuko had taught, she was sure he'd had a good reason. Just the same, he had taught it when it was illegal. Who would he do that for?

"He said he had a student," she said hesitantly. 

Toph nodded, like a teacher waiting for her dense pupil to come up with the right answer. Korra gritted her teeth. If the old woman knew something, why didn't she just say so? But since she was pretty sure she would lose the waiting game, she tried to think of the answer Toph was waiting for on her own. A student... a woman... a nonbender. Obviously, someone close to Zuko. He wouldn't do that for just anybody. 

Korra's eyes went wide. "F-Firelord Izumi?" she stuttered. "She's a bloodbender?" 

Toph smiled. "Way to use your intellect, Twinkle Toes. Thought for a second I really would have to kick you around to get those brain cells working." 

"B-But... why--" Korra cut herself off. She knew exactly why no one had told her what Firelord Izumi could do. For the same reason no one had told her what Zuko could do. 

"So can she firebend, too, or..." 

Toph shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. And she detests that fact more than she ever lets on. Quite frankly, if Katara still knew bloodbending, you'd probably have better luck with her than with Izumi." She let out a long sigh. "But the way things are now, I think she's your best bet." She glanced at the door. "Seems our audience is about to return."

She waited until the door opened and Lin and Iroh retook their seats. 

"The Avatar had a brilliant idea," Toph announced way more loudly than necessary. "We need a full analysis of this situation. We know what's going on here, but our information on the Fire Nation is limited. Korra is going to visit Izumi and see what she can learn."

Lin raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Wait. You and Korra were left alone to plan something, and doing an analysis was your first solution. Who are you and what did you do with my mother?"

"I'm getting crazy in my old age," Toph said. "I'm sure it'll wear off soon."


	5. Firelord Izumi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies to Asami fans for her absence in the upcoming chapters... we promise she is not disappearing forever, nor are we setting up Borra or Makorra. We did, however, want to keep things realistic, and Asami basically ditching her company for a few weeks did not seem like something she would reasonably do.

"So, wait, why are we going to the Fire Nation again?" Mako asked, a large backpack slung over his shoulders. Granted, most of the stuff in it was his brother's -- maps, mover posters, and some weird lotion of Varrick's creation that Bolin insisted would keep skin from burning no matter how sunny it got. 

Korra glanced over her shoulder to the waiting sky bison. Though Tenzin had offered a ride on any number of the sky bison, they had somehow ended up with Opal's bison, Juicy. Big, dopey, booger-nosed Juicy. 

The animal looked at her now with lulling, saggy eyes. 

_Geez, Tenzin,_ she thought. _Of all the flying bison in all the nations, why, oh why did it have to be that one?_ Of course, she might very well end up swimming her way to the Fire Nation if the two brothers didn't hurry themselves up. "I'm going to have an important diplomatic meeting with Firelord Izumi," she finally answered Mako. "I have no clue why you two are here."

__"I'm going on a tour through the Fire Nation to promote 'Nuktuk: Hero of the South!'" Bolin announced proudly. Did you know the movers just now started to gain popularity there? It's insane!"_ _

__"Uh-huh," Korra said. Her gaze fell to Mako. "And why are you tagging along, again?"_ _

__"You want me to leave this guy wandering freely around the Fire Nation while you meet with Firelord Izumi?" Mako asked, pointing to Bolin, who was now opening one of the Varrick-Lotion bottles and rubbing it all over his face. The stuff smelled like rotten sea prunes._ _

__"Fair point," Korra said with a shrug. _Lousy cover-up that you're just tagging along because you're worried about me, but fair point, just the same.__ _

__"Where's Asami?" Bolin asked suddenly. "Shouldn't she be coming to?"_ _

__"Yeah, unlike us, Asami has an actual job," Mako reminded him._ _

__"Oh, yeah."_ _

__\----_ _

__Firelord Izumi got a great number of visitors from time to time, but Avatar Korra's arrival was a surprise to her. So much so, in fact, that when one of her guards came and announced Korra's arrival, Izumi asked him to repeat himself twice just to be sure she'd heard correctly. He then stepped aside and sure enough, there was the young waterbender standing in the throne room's doorway. She looked around like a lost child and Izumi could not decide who seemed more out of place -- her guard or the Avatar._ _

__"There's.. something else, your highness," the guard said nervously. "The Avatar specifically requested to have a conversation with you in private."_ _

__Izumi gave a wry smile. "A private conversation, hm? That should be interesting." She raised a hand and motioned to the palace staff around her. "You may leave us. I will call you when you are needed."_ _

__"B-but, your highness--" the guard stammered. Not out of rudeness or defiance, but that was the infuriating part of it. There was a look in his eyes that Izumi just knew past generations never gave the Firelord. No one ever thought Ozai would get hurt if he wasn't being watched 24/7. But she was the nonbender, the helpless one. Even alone with the Avatar, her guards still worried about her. Especially with gangs of bloodbenders about the capital city._ _

__"I understand your concern, but my father taught me to defend myself perfectly well, and besides, I'm here with the Avatar. If anyone could get through her, I'm quite positive you'd be just as useless." She smiled politely as the guard's face fell from the blow to his ego. Hanging his head, he walked out of the room. The doors echoed as they shut behind him._ _

__"Now then," said Izumi, settling into her throne. "Tell me what's on your mind."_ _

__\----_ _

__Korra twisted her fingers. She'd thought Republic City was big when she first visited, but this palace took things to a completely different level. She wished she could have Asami here. Asami talked to important people all the time. Even Mako with his weird way of babbling when he got nervous would probably botch this up much less than she was about to. Still, she'd promised to keep this secret, and the best way to keep a secret was to go it alone._ _

__"It's... about the new bloodbenders. Iroh says there's been some issues with them."_ _

__Izumi frowned, but nodded. "My son is correct. We've had several gangs of bloodbenders causing issues in the capital. Most of them are still too unskilled to handle more than two or three officers at a time, but they do drain our police resources."_ _

__Korra swallowed hard. "Yeah, so... Iroh, Lin, and Toph had a talk with me. They wanted to know what ideas I have for, um... y'know, for stopping these gangs."_ _

__"And you have an idea? Or you're asking me for an idea?" Izumi said. Her voice had gotten softer now. Korra had no clue if that was a good or a bad thing._ _

__"I... have an idea. But I need your help with it."_ _

__"With manpower? I just explained to you, we're barely containing the problem here as it is. I have little resources to offer you."_ _

__"No, no. I mean, I want you to teach me bloodbending. So I can use it to defend people."_ _

__Izumi went silent. No widened eyes or raised eyebrows, just an impassive, focused stare, like Korra had done nothing but annoy her. Korra was now fairly sure that the soft voice had been a bad sign._ _

__"And how do you expect a nonbender to teach you an advanced waterbending technique? Ask Katara if you're determined to learn that dark nonsense." She rose from her seat._ _

___No,_ Korra thought. _Don't let her call the guards back in now.__ _

__"Katara doesn't know it anymore," Korra said quickly. Maybe if she just revealed that Izumi had nothing to hide from her, she'd listen to reason. "Zuko told me. Aang used energybending to move Katara's ability to bloodbend to Zuko, and he..."_ _

__Korra stopped and Toph's words flashed in her mind. _"She detests that fact more than she ever lets on."_ Bringing it up might just make Izumi more upset with her. But at this point, what did she have to lose? _ _

__"Zuko passed it onto you. He didn't tell me. Not on purpose, anyway. He was trying to teach me to help with my healing and just mentioned he'd had another student, and--"_ _

__A crash resounded throughout the room. Bits of shattered glass started raining down on Izumi and Korra. On instinct, Korra started to run forward to protect Izumi, but felt her body jerked backwards. This wasn't the floating sensation she got when Zuko had demonstrated his bloodbending skills on her. This was someone who had no issues with hurting her. Or worse._ _

__Her breathing picked up speed. Not too long ago, this sensation would have sent her into a panicked frenzy. It threatened to now. But she had to fight it. She was the Avatar._ _

__Korra looked up to face their attackers. There were three of them, two men and a woman. None of them bothered wearing masks to obscure their faces, and Korra realized when one of the men got closer that he was actually a teenager, no older than fifteen. His comrades looked closer to Korra's age. The woman had Izumi pinned to a wall, while the man and the kid had their arms raised, attention focused on Korra._ _

___When did I get old enough to think of a fifteen-year-old as a kid?_ _ _

__She tried again to step forward, but the attempt sent pain shoot through her body. She struggled to remember some of what Zuko had taught her, even a hint would help right now, but everything felt like a blur in her mind._ _

__Meanwhile, Izumi remained calm and didn't look the least bit upset that someone was in a good position to snap her neck. "I would exercise caution, if I were you," she said to the woman. "The Avatar has mastered bloodbending herself, and I doubt she plans to wait much longer for the group of you to come to your senses."_ _

__"Shut up!" the woman snapped. She moved her arms and lowered Izumi's body slightly, only to shove her hard against the wall again. The impact knocked Izumi's glasses to the ground. "We came here to give the demands, not take them."_ _

__Izumi gave an exasperated sigh. If there was any pain, she didn't show it. "Very well, then. Avatar Korra, do what you need to do."_ _

__"You've got it." The words didn't come from Korra. Or, rather, they did, but not of her own free will. She could feel her lips moving, the sound coming from her throat, but she had no more control over it than she did her own feet right now. And then, suddenly, her arms felt free again. She stepped forward, flexing her fingers, just to make sure her attackers weren't messing with her somehow. But when she looked up, all three of them were tensed up, grunting with frustration. She knew that look. Knew it better than anyone. Someone had used their technique back on them, freezing them in place. Izumi collapsed into a sitting position, but never took her eyes off the battle._ _

__Now sure she had full control of herself again, Korra shot a blast of fire into the air and announced, "Get out of here, all of you! And if I see you threatening so much as a beetle-moth, you'll get much worse than that. You understand me?"_ _

__None of them answered her. They were too busy scrambling up the ropes._ _

__\----_ _

__Later, when the palace guards had been assured that everything was fine, that their leader would not have their heads for being absent during the attack, and that she could not be safer than when she was with the amazing Avatar, Korra finally had the chance to spill out everything on her mind._ _

__"F-Firelord Izumi? What you did today... that was unbelievable," she whispered. "Your hands barely moved. And you still controlled three people. In the middle of the day."_ _

__Izumi shrugged her shoulders, though she still managed to look regal doing it. "I keep telling my guards my father trained me to defend myself, and yet somehow they never do believe me." She turned to Korra. "I now find myself in the awkward position of reconsidering your request," she said. "As this gang has clearly seen what the Avatar is capable of, I have no doubt they'll attack you again."_ _

__"I'm sorry," Korra said, hanging her head. "If anything I said before brought up memories, I mean."_ _

__Izumi shook her head. "I am not upset that my father told you what I am," she said. "Aang knew about it, and had your connection to your past self been left un-severed, you could have learned that fact anytime you wished. But let me be clear. When my father taught you, I'm sure he was quite gentle about it. I am not gentle. The technique is violent and dangerous and I'm going to treat it as such. Do you understand?"_ _

__Korra nodded nervously, wondering if it was too late to just go back to Lin's first idea of letting Toph kick her around a room._ _

__"Very well, then. Let us move to a space that is not full of broken glass, and we will begin."_ _


	6. Weapon 843

"No fear. No pain. No mercy." 843 whispered the words as soon as her eyes opened. 

It was still early. Two hours before sunrise. She rose. Her body moved like clockwork. She rinsed her face in the small basin by her bunk. Donned her uniform. Made her bed. Went to the dining room. Two young potentials, orphans both, served her food, just as she had once served those who were now Weapons. Breakfast was a small bowl of plain porridge and a papaya. There was tea as well--a special blend of ginseng for energy, burdock root to prevent muscle fatigue, and licorice to support healing. It tasted awful, but it had had everything a living weapon needed. 

She sat in her usual seat, third table down, second-to-last seat from the exit, beside the other tier one weapons. She sipped her tea, saying nothing. The boy to her right didn't speak either. He rubbed his forehead as he poked his food. 

_Lack of appetite. Another migraine,_ she thought. _Third one this week._ Pity. She had just gotten used to sparing with this one. But if the headaches kept up he would break, just like the one before him. Then Master would have to make a new weapon to fill the empty chair. One of the kitchen orphans maybe? The girl was just about the right age... 

A tremor ran up her hand. She swallowed. 

_No fear. No pain. No mercy._

She repeated the words again, silently until the feeling passed. She touched her own forehead. Not sure why. She could see the vague reflection of the tattoo in her tea. The third eye was vivid on her skin, red as fresh blood. Her chakras' path was clear, too. It was years since her last migraine. 

Footsteps sounded. Her master's and another--a older man, she knew from the gait. He was wearing boots. Fire Nation military. And he was wealthy. The kind of wealthy that let their coins jingle on their belt. 

_A buyer._

The tier twos and threes were standing now--the tier threes already in rigid attention. She rose and turned too, right-ways, so that she would be facing the door when her master entered. 

"I admit I'm surprised to see your families still in business, Master Eli. Especially after Lord Zuko took the throne," said the stranger with the clunking boots. Her master's footsteps were much lighter, like wind whispering in the night.

"People will always need weapons, Tomas. Even Lord Zuko. I imagine that's why the young lord never bothered to make an appearance after he came to power. Then again, my father said he always was a coward."

"True," said Tomas. "But I doubt Firelord Izumi will make the same choice if she ever finds out the truth about this little operation." 

The two men entered side-by side. The stranger wore fine Fire Nation clothes with gold embroidery but no armor. Ex-military then? A former officer most likely, since he still carried himself with authority. Her master wore his usual flowing robes of orange and yellow. 

"And how would she learn that? Are you going to enlighten her, Tomas?" her master asked. He was a soft-spoken man, but his voice was as soothing as eel-hound claws raking slowly down her spine. She sucked in a breath. 

_No fear,_ she thought. 

Tomas chuckled, making the coins on his belt jingle even harder. "Me? After what her father did to my family? Surly, Eli, you know me better than that. Why do you think I came all the way out here personally?"

"I see." said Master. "In that case, let's get right to business." 

He beckoned towards the tier three table. Without instruction, the program's most powerful weapon stood. 

"Weapon number 459, Morter," Master announced. 

Morter was burly and muscled and still incredibly limber for his years. But it wasn't his combat skills that made him Master's most prized weapon. Morter had single-handedly leveled more ground, taken more lives with his combustionbending then the rest of them put together. As a sign of his rank, his third eye was slashed with three other horizontal tattoos in matching red. 

"Morter will serve you well. Consider it a gift from my ancestors." 

The Fire Nation man didn't reply. He was too busy making faces at Morter, as if he couldn't decide whether to be in awe or afraid. Not an uncommon reaction, actually. It took him a moment to realize Master had addressed him. 

"He's magnificent. I promise his talents will not go to waste." 

"Is there anything else?"

The Fire Nation man gave a yellowed smile. "Actually, now that you mention it, I wanted to discuss equipping my associates."

Her master's mouth set into a line. "A weapon is only as good as its handler, Tomas. Those glorified bandits you call associates barely have the sense to handle their own bending, let alone command one of my weapons. "

Master had a point. Apparently his father had made that mistake once and loaned his prize weapon to a warlord. But the weapon, number 613 Pike, tried to break her contract and escape with a rebel called Zaheer. She even had the nerve to give herself a human name. For this treason, Master's father left her for scrap, refusing to free her even after she ended up in a Northern Water Tribe ice prison. Or so the story went. Master never said what happened after. 

Tomas shifted in place. "So you know then?"

"My son informed me. Word tends to spread quickly when the royal palace is invaded by rogue benders who attack the Firelord in broad daylight." He shook his head. "How utterly sloppy of you."

He sounded disgusted, and his tone made old Tomas squirm. 

"Yes, well, there were some... complications. The Avatar made an unexpected appearance." He swallowed. "And she has mastered bloodbending." 

Her master's brows lifted. "Has she now?" He fingered the snowy beard that ran halfway to his chest. "Interesting. In that case, perhaps I will loan you another. A lighter weapon... something even your bandits can handle." He gestured again, this time to the tier one table. To her. She rose and stepped forward. 

"Weapon number 843 Fuse," said Master. 

The Fire Nation man scratched his narrow chin and looked her over with equally narrow eyes. 

"This one doesn't look as powerful as the others..."

"She's been field-tested and received top marks for agility, combat, and accuracy. She's more than enough for your bandits, I assure you. Well, provided you pay collateral, of course."

The Fire Nation man was still eyeing her. 

"Wha--? Oh, money. Yes, of course." He produced an impressive gold box filled with, surprise, more gold. 

"Very good," said her Master. "I'll have them outfitted and shipped by tomorrow. Just make sure your associates are prepared. This isn't a toy for them to play with."

"I'll make sure they know. Thank you, Master Eli." The Fire Nation man turned to go. 

"Oh, and Tomas? The next time you visit, I expect better news."


	7. Patience and Planning

"Ouch!" Korra fell flat on her face as Izumi bloodbent her feet out from under her. The Firelord released her hold once Korra was down, and Korra scrambled up to her knees, feeling her nose to make sure it wasn't bleeding. 

"Geez, what was that all about?" she exclaimed. "Your dad always made me announce what I was about to do whenever we practiced." 

"Yes, I'm aware of his training methods," said Izumi, lowering her arms from their bending stance. "Announcing is pointless. Your opponents aren't going to announce their intentions to you, so why should I? I'm guessing you even argued as much to my father when you were training?" 

Korra felt her face grow hot, and Izumi smiled. "I'll take that as a yes. Now stand up. And try to actually resist this time. You make it too easy." 

Korra dragged herself up with a groan. This was her fourth day here, and so far her best achievement was that once, she got to wiggle her fingers while Izumi was holding her still. She was pretty sure that wasn't going to be useful and hoped at the very least that Bolin and Mako were having a better time than she was. 

\---- 

"I can't believe Korra kicked us out again!" Bolin wailed as he and Mako made their way down the streets of the Fire Nation capital. It was a pleasant enough walk... balmy, warm, and lots of vendors selling all kinds of goods that Republic City didn't carry. Mako put down a coin for a bag of fire flakes and munched them thoughtfully. Maybe the heat would ignite some creative part of his brain. 

"Didn't you have posters to give out or something?" he asked his brother. 

"Gave them all out the first day we were here," Bolin said with a sigh. "They're hung up all around town. See?" He pointed and Mako realized that the vendor he'd just bought the fire flakes from had a large Nuktuk poster hung up next to the menu. "Honestly, bro?" Bolin said. "For coming here to deal with roving gangs of evil bloodbenders, I'd have thought we'd see some more action by now." 

"Yeah." Mako rubbed his chin. "It is weird that all her meetings with the Firelord are taking so long. I thought they would have come up with some solutions by now. Korra's never been one to talk strategy for too long." 

"Maybe Firelord Izumi is teaching her the art of patience and planning?" Bolin suggested. Mako raised his eyebrows. "Okay, okay, maybe not." 

Just then, the two of them heard the sound of a wings fluttering above them. Pabu let out a small bark, and Bolin looked up to see a messenger bird perched on top of the stall. It pecked at the edge of the Nuktuk poster and tilted its head curiously at them. 

"Uh, something for us?" Mako asked. 

It titled its head the other way and bowed, revealing a pouch on its back. Sure enough, a small slip of paper with Bolin and Mako's names on it was inside. Mako slipped the paper off. 

"I, um, don't have anything to feed you," he said. "But thanks." 

The bird glared at him, then nicked a hole in Nuktuk's face before sailing back towards the palace. Mako unrolled the slip of paper and began reading. It contained several high-denomination bills, and he tactfully slipped them into his pocket in a way that no one standing nearby would notice. 

"It's a letter from Korra," Bolin whispered with excitement, noting the name at the top of the letter. Mako got excited at first, too. Then he read the message in its entirety. 

"She says she's going to need at least another week with the Firelord," he muttered. "But she says to go enjoy ourselves and see the sights of the Fire Nation together." 

Mako had a strong temptation to burn the letter in his fingers, but Bolin seemed in much better spirits. "Oo! Oo! Could we go to Ember Island?" he asked happily. 

"I think that's a bit far out," Mako replied. "But there's a few nearby villages with some good theaters, if that's what you're looking for." He pulled out his map. "Here we go. 'Sunport. A friendly seaside city with plenty of local entertainment.' That sounds good, right?" 

"Anything that takes my mind off Opal sounds good," Bolin said with a sigh. Pabu gave him a sympathetic lick on the cheek. 

Opal. Mako knew it had to come up some time. The best he could hope for was a good distraction. He patted his brother on the shoulder and looked around them. "Come on, there's a train station a couple blocks up from here. Let's see what we can find." 

\---- 

"We need to draw out the Firelord," Fuse's handler Jarven announced to his trusty crew, which was growing larger by the day. 

He spread a map of the Fire Nation across an old plank supported by a barrel and a bale of hay. Jarven's kid brother, Kasan, sat on a second barrel. Fuse stood aside, motionless and alert, her arms crossed over her chest. Jarven's tent didn't have much room to spare, forcing the leaders of two other gangs to edge in much closer to her than they would have liked. Fuse didn't protest, even if they did smell like rank fish and nervous sweat. 

It was probably her presence that made them all twitchy in the first place. Not surprising. Part of the reason to carry a weapon was to inspire fear as well as respect. Master knew this, and had outfitted her accordingly with black and red mercenary leathers. At his son Eagon's suggestion, he had even dyed the tips of her bangs a popping red. 

"We could start attacking villages... that would lure her away from the palace," one leader, a bulk of a man, suggested. 

"As if, genius. The Firelord wouldn't come all the way out here just to defend farmers and fishwives. She'd send soldiers," Jarven spat back. 

"So? I've already taken out plenty of soldiers now that I can do this..." The leader flexed thick fingers and spread his arms, forcing a nearby underling to conk himself in the head with his own fist. Raucous laughter erupted. The dazed underling laughed, too. 

"Good one, boss!" He smacked himself again, this time toppling over backwards. 

"Ha ha!" the big man bellowed. "Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!" 

"That's enough, Crull," snapped Jarven. "I'm being serious. We can't risk hitting the palace again. Not until we even the odds..." 

_These morons really made it into the palace? The Firelord must be slipping._

That wouldn't be the case any longer, though. Thanks to these careless fools, the best chance they had now of luring out the Firelord was to capture her family. Like it was that easy. 

Lord Zuko was off diplomatting with a caravan of heavy guard--flames only knew where. And General Iroh never seemed to go anywhere without a sizable portion of the Fire Nation military. The same went for his wife. 

A different target then. If not the Firelord's family, then someone important to her. Someone indispensable... like the Avatar. 

The Avatar didn't travel with guards. She had power, yes. The four elements plus metal and now bloodbending. It would be a hard fight. But even bloodbending wasn't a foolproof discipline. It had limits. To control multiple targets, the bloodbender had to sacrifice precision. And maintaining the hold required great concentration, which reduced range. If the Avatar was taken down quickly and from a distance... 

Why was she even bothering with this train of thought? It wasn't her job to plan. She was a tool and was there to follow the commands of her handlers... even if her handlers were incompetent. 

"So it's settled," said Jarven with a nod, drawing back her wandering attention. "Sibeen's crew will start hitting villages to the west. Tarman's to the east. That should give General Iroh enough reason to spread the troops nice and thin. Kasan and I will take the rest south, towards Ember Island, where we will rendezvous with Tomas. Lord Zuko must return to his home there eventually. Once we have him as our hostage that should draw the Firelord directly to us." 

"You plan on taking Lord Zuko hostage?" 'Skepticism' didn't fully cover the level of disbelief in Crull's tone. 

Jarven gave a wide, wicked smile. "I've got a source that tells me the old man has a certain... weakness. Tomas will be fetching it for us." 

Crull stared at him blankly. 

"Yes, we can take him hostage!" Jarven snapped. "Now stop questioning me and get out!" 

The crowd began to disperse, but not without Kasan leaning close to whisper, "I don't like this plan. What if the Avatar shows up to protect Lord Zuko?" 

"Relax. Not even the Avatar can take on all of us at once. Especially not if we have a hostage. And don't forget we've got the weapon." 

Fuse straightened at his mention. _Huh. Guess they figured out a plan after all. Go, idiots._


	8. Nuktuk in Peril

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay in posting! We will be back to our weekly schedule now.

Fuse rose the next morning, two hours before dawn. She tidied her little edge of the camp far away from Jarven and his fish-smelling pals. Though she really should have stayed within earshot of her handler, no one in this group had the spine to argue with her. They hadn't they gone out of their way to offer her food or blankets for the night, either. No matter. She didn't need them, anyway. Master had equipped her with her own camping supplies and food--and the skills to acquire more if needed. It was a point of pride with him. His weapons were meant to get the job done as quickly and effectively as possible--not burden the handler with the cost of their upkeep. 

She set to work. Perhaps not quite as efficiently here in the wilderness then back at the compound, but quickly just the same. She prepped her small cook-fire. Gathered water from a nearby stream. Paused a moment to gather a patch of wild mushrooms. Began to boil rice porridge... 

Something rustled. A small shadow darted just at the tree line. 

"So you found me again, did you?" she said, her mouth curving ever-so-slightly. A slender fire-ferret emerged and bounded over--as best as she could bound, at least--with a meaty squirrel-toad clutched in her mouth. 

"A gift? For me? Thank you, Shouga." She took the present, silently grateful and eager to eat something other than her rice rations or what edible plants she had time to gather. She could have hunted. Rather well, in fact, if she was alone. But traveling with a rowdy gang of rogue benders wasn't exactly conducive for luring out the local wildlife. 

With a few quick strokes of her dagger she prepared the squirrel-toad and set it to roasting on her small cook-fire. In the meantime she divided up her porridge and wild mushrooms, offering Shouga a sizable portion. 

How long had it been now since the two of them had shared a meal like this? A year? Yes, at least. Towards the end of her last mission. Shouga was just barely passed kithood--a half-starved, wild-eyed creature torn from her nest too early by the greedy man Fuse was hired to escort home. He was a collector by trade, with many rare treasures in need of guarding. Shouga, a rare volcano-dwelling fire-ferret (or volcat as they were often nicknamed), was among them. She was the fancy pet he promised to present on a pillow to his swooning lady friend. Unfortunately for him, Shouga had other plans, none of them particularly friendly. 

When the man finally lost patience with her a few days into the trip he had thrown Shouga's cage at Fuse's head and ordered her to "take care of the blasted thing." So, she had. Just not in the way he'd had in mind. 

Fuse divided the squirrel-toad next, savoring hers with guilty slowness. She watched the young animal bolt down her portion, then sit back to groom her whiskers with a steady paw. It was hard to believe that skinny kit had turned into the predator currently curled by the fire. 

Footsteps sounded. Jarven's most likely, since he was the only bender in this lot not secretly terrified of her. 

"Is that a volcat?" he asked, catching only a blurred glimpse of ginger and flame-orange fur as Shouga disappeared back into the trees. 

Fuse nodded. 

"Don't see many of them this far south of the volcanoes. How'd you tame him?" 

"Her," Fuse pointed out. "And I didn't." 

Taming would imply that Shouga was her pet. And weapons weren't allowed to have pets. But the rules were different for travel companions. Shouga could hunt and feed herself, find her own shelter, and defend herself from enemies. So could Fuse. What was the harm, really, if they happened to do these things in the same vicinity now and then?

"Right..." said Jarven with a look that suggested she must have grown a second head or something. Then he straightened. 

"We've nearly reached Sunport. I want you to go in ahead of us. Then, when I give the signal, I want you to create a big, noisy, explosive distraction to draw off the guards."

 _Typical,_ she thought. ' _You go handle the trained soldiers. We'll take care of the scary unarmed civilians. Bwa ha ha!' Coward._

"I can do that." she said.

\----

It took almost a half hour train ride for Mako and Bolin to make their way from the Royal Caldera City into Sunport. Mako actually preferred it out here. None of the royal guard around, the houses all a mix of colors... the world felt real here. 

Of course, with the pleasant weather outside, the city streets were full of happy couples walking alongside each other. Bolin watched each of them pass with his tears on the brink of producing waterfalls. Mako sighed. His brother hadn't taken the breakup with Opal easily, and Mako had hoped this trip would help distract him a bit. Clearly, it was having the opposite effect. In an effort to redirect Bolin's thoughts, Mako flicked through some of the pamphlets he'd picked up on the local attractions and began reading aloud. 

"Hey, fun fact. Did you know that Sunport used to be known as Harbor City? Its name was changed by Firelord Zuko in the year 107 AG, with the official explanation being that the old name was 'too blasted obvious'."

He grinned awkwardly as he looked up from the pamphlet. Given that his brother's dejected expression hadn't changed in the slightest, Mako took a guess that his tactics were failing. 

"Arg, I don't get it! Why am I being rejected by all the women in my life?" Bolin lamented way too loudly. "Opal hates me, Korra doesn't want me around. I bet if I _met_ Firelord Izumi, she'd kick me out for being too Bolin-ish!"

Mako glanced around them. This town was not as well-policed as the area just outside the palace, and more than a few heads had raised when Bolin started ranting about the Avatar and the Firelord. 

"Let's try not to draw attention to ourselves," he said quietly. Then, only because he couldn't resist, he added on, "and you did meet Firelord Izumi. She was sitting there when you burst in on the world leader meeting and President Raiko tried to have you arrested." 

"Oh, yeah," Bolin said in a surprisingly upbeat tone. "I'd totally forgotten about that."

Mako glanced back at the crowd around them. Most of the people whose attention they'd drawn earlier had gone back to whatever they were doing before the crazy loud guys interrupted them. But two men, two particularly unfriendly looking men, stood up and moved in Mako and Bolin's direction. 

"What was that you were saying about the Avatar?" one of them spat. The street was not particularly wide, and they had tactfully positioned themselves to block off any easy escape. Mako and Bolin exchanged nervous glances. Mako tried to hazard a guess about how much these men had heard and calculate how much they could downplay any connection to Korra whatsoever. 

"That's right! Me and the Avatar are like best buds, is what I was saying!" Bolin announced. "Why, if she found out you were messing around with her numero uno friend, she'd kick your butts so bad, you'd... you'd, um... wish you didn't have butts!"

Mako covered his face. Not surprisingly, the two men erupted with laughter. Pabu groaned and hid in Bolin's shirt. 

"Friends with the Avatar, huh?" one guy laughed. "Now that's a good one!"

"Hey, wait a sec!" the other guy said. He grabbed Bolin's chin and turned his face from side to side. "Ain't you that mover star? That Numbtuck guy?"

"Nuktuk," Bolin quickly corrected, even though regret flushed across his face half a second later. 

"Yeah, that's it!" the man said. He released Bolin's chin and turned to his colleague. "You know, I heard the Avatar is a huge Nuktug fan. I bet if we kidnap this guy, he'd make great bait." 

"Nope, I'd make terrible bait!" Bolin exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him. "Korra hates Nuktuk. The only thing that Korra hates more than Nuktuk is people who mispronounce Nuktuk's name." 

"Ha, nice try."

The two mens' stances changed. Rather than trying to block off both brothers' escape, they were now focused only on "Nuktug". Bolin put up his fists. 

"All right then, I'm afraid you leave me no choice. Prepare to face the wrath of Nuktu--" His words were choked off as his body was pulled suddenly against his command. "Ack. Oh... bloodbenders... you're bloodbenders!" 

"That's right," grunted the bigger of the two. "and you're comin' with us, Nuklug."

"It's pronounced... oh, never mind." 

The three started to head away, the two men in front, Bolin jerking clumsily behind like a puppet on a string.

Everything in Mako screamed that he had to protect his brother. But the two thugs had hardly taken an interest in him. He advanced a step, ready to scream at them. To tell them they'd have to rip him apart before they took his brother away. Bolin yelled instead, even louder then usual. 

"Okay, okay! I'll go with you... seeing as how there is _no way someone like me could possibly defend against bloodbending!_ Yeah, I really don't know how I'm going to get out of this one. If only there was someone who could _GO GET HELP!"_

Mako froze. Bolin was right. This might be his one chance to slip away unnoticed. His only chance to get help. 

_Sorry, bro,_ he thought to himself. Then, wincing, he turned and sprinted down the street. He heard a few shouts behind him, but as his lungs screamed for a breath, the voices got softer and softer. No sounds of footsteps followed. 

_I have to get Korra,_ he thought. _I have to get help._

He rounded the corner at a full sprint. He had to get back to the train station. He had to get word to Korra...

Something flashed in the corner of his eye. A light too bright to be the sun. Then came the explosion.


	9. First Flight

Korra was making progress. She fell on the floor a lot less now. Actually, she hadn't fallen on the floor once all afternoon. She was very familiar with the floor right now; its slick surface made falling easy. She always tried to work her way towards the few areas of the throne room that were actually carpeted, just to give herself a bit more traction. 

"Watch your left side," Izumi commanded. Korra had fallen for that trick before. She focused her efforts on her right arm instead, making sure to keep it within her control as Izumi tried to hold it down. 

The Firelord smiled. "Not bad. You're learning." 

"Yeah, but..." Korra rubbed her arm. "This is going to sound weird, but isn't there anything you can teach me about bloodbending that isn't all... um..." She never had much of a flare for words, so she circled her hands around and made the type of noises she imagined came from creatures under her bed when she was four. Izumi gave her the eyebrow raise for the fifth time that day. 

"Clarify," the Firelord said. 

"Creepy," Korra finally summarized. "I mean, I get it. I know it's really awful that you can control another person's movements. I've gotten the receiving end of that way more times than I would've cared to, all right? But I mean, it's really awful that you can burn houses down with firebending, too. And we've got all this technology that depends on firebenders." 

Firelord Izumi steepled her fingers. "You want me to demonstrate something positive that could be accomplished through bloodbending?" 

"Yes, exactly." 

Izumi stroked her chin thoughtfully for a few moments. "Well, I can demonstrate how effectively I can keep your lungs moving when they otherwise would refuse to do so, but I gather you don't care to nearly drown yourself for the sake of that demonstration." 

"Erm, no," said Korra. 

Izumi's expression softened and she walked over to the red carpet in the corner where Korra was standing. The two of them knelt down, the huge portrait of Firelord Ozai looming behind him. 

"There is... one thing I trained myself to do as a child," Izumi said. "I can see if I still remember it." 

Korra nodded. The Firelord stood and positioned herself in a basic waterbending stance. She breathed deeply, like she was going into some sort of a trance. Korra was about to ask what exactly was happened when she suddenly realized that Izumi's feet no longer touched the ground. 

"No... way..." she whispered. She couldn't help it. The little girl inside of her, who always watched any kind of flying animal in wonder, completely took over her brain. She remember how she couldn't wait for the day she'd learn airbending, just so she could glide wherever she wanted. As she had to confess, as much as Zaheer had terrified her, something in her envied the skill of flight that he'd mastered. 

Izumi's arms were shaking now; a line of sweat rolled down the side of her face, and her feet lowered to the floor. She sat down instantly, panting from the effort. 

"To lift a whole body into the air is much different than controlling just a few muscles in it," she said. "But the effort is worth it sometimes." 

"Let me try," Korra said, jumping to her feet. Izumi offered no objections and demonstrated the waterbending motions she'd used, slower this time so Korra could follow them in more detail.

"Let your whole body relax," she advised. "It's much more difficult if your muscles tighten up."

"Got it," said Korra. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, imagining herself in one of Tenzin's meditation sessions. Her muscles felt loose, but ready. She went through the motions Izumi had showed her, letting her arms move as if a strong wind simply happened to be blowing them that way. Then, finally, she focused all her attention on her own body and pictured it floating. The floor she'd slipped and fallen on so many times... she suddenly could no longer feel it beneath her feet.

"Very good... keep your focus..." she heard Izumi saying. There was some other voices far off in the distance, but she didn't pay attention to them. Didn't open her eyes, either, for fear it might all end the moment she did. 

It ended soon just the same, though. Mako burst through the door. 

"Korra, it's Bolin! You have to--"

Korra's face found the floor again. She grunted and sat up. Mako was standing in the open doorway, with several of Izumi's guards rushing in behind him. 

"Your majesty!" several of them stuttered at once, until one finally took charge. "We apologize! We knew this young man was with the Avatar, so we let him enter the palace freely, but then he suddenly ran for this room, and--"

"It's fine," Izumi said, pushing up her glasses. Korra could tell from her tone that it was the opposite of fine. She eyed the look of shock on Mako's face. How much had he seen? How much it could Korra explain away? She'd had her eyes closed; was Izumi bloodbending at the time Mako burst in?

_Calm down, the guards aren't acting like anything is weird. It must have just been me they saw._

"Were you just... flying?" Mako finally asked. 

"Y-yes?" Korra said. Then, she cleared her throat and said much more firmly, "That is, uh... yes. Yes, I was. Empty the wind! Enter and become void! I mean--"

"Okay, that's great, congratulations," Mako said. "Korra, we need your help. Some of those bloodbenders just kidnapped my brother."

"What?" Korra asked. She thought she heard an echo in the room and looked back, realizing that Izumi had voiced the same thing. 

"I think they were trying to get to you," Mako explained. "Someone recognized him from the movers and thought you were a big Nuktud... I mean Nudtuk... I mean, arg!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Korra said, feeling more than a little strange at the idea of telling someone else he needed to cool off. "Do you know where they took him?" 

"I think so. They've pretty much taken over this one town... Sunport, it was called. So I think if you go there, you'll find them easily enough." 

"All right. I like easy." Korra pounded her fist into an open palm. Izumi stepped forward. 

"Sunport contains one of the Fire Nation's largest harbors," she said. "It's a very strategic location, but one that would be difficult to keep. They've either got some asset we don't yet know of or they're idiots."

"Well, they've definitely got idiots," said Mako, rubbing the back of his neck. "But they're pretty organized, too. I don't think whoever's running this operation is anywhere near as stupid as his subordinates." 

Izumi nodded thoughtfully. "All right, then. The two of you go and rescue your friend, and report back to me what you find." 

"What do you mean?" Korra asked. "You're coming with us, right?" 

"Um," said Mako, "why would the nonbending leader of the Fire Nation come with us?" 

The look Izumi gave Korra for that little slip up strongly implied she wanted to go back to demonstrating just how painful bloodbending could be. Korra quickly tried to cover her tracks. "Um, she wouldn't. Obviously. But we were doing important... um, meeting stuff before you came in, and--"

"More important than rescuing Bolin?" 

Korra winced. 

Izumi stepped forward and cleared her throat. "If one of my towns has been taken over, my army will need to plan a counterattack," she said. "I hope you understand why this information is quite sensitive and why I would rather not discuss it with everyday citizens, however close they may be to the Avatar." 

Mako stiffened at the word "close", which irritated Korra to no end. How long did she and Mako have to officially be not-an-couple before their friendship could go back to normal? 

"I assure you," Izumi went on. "I am putting your brother's rescue at the top of my priority list. Go with my guards and prepare a hot air balloon. They're a common sight around the Fire Nation, and I imagine they'll draw less attention than a sky bison." 

Finally, Mako brightened up a bit and left. Korra thought she heard something about, "Where can I get a balloon guy" before he was out of earshot. She shut the door and turned to Izumi. 

"Come with us," Korra whispered before Izumi got the chance to scold her. "We need you." 

Izumi looked at her, not so much like she was shocked at the suggestion but more like she was shocked that Korra had been stupid enough to make it. 

"If I were willing to reveal my powers to deal with these bands of ruffians, don't you think I would have done it by now? You've been training for almost a week now, and you clearly retained some skills you learned from my father. You can save your friend just fine." 

Korra gritted her teeth. She knew the answer might be no, but she'd at least been hoping for some hesitancy on Izumi's part. "These bloodbenders are causing chaos in your kingdom, you're one of the few people who can counteract them, and you won't come?" 

Izumi shook her head. "Korra, you miss the larger picture. You think if I go into this battle and start bloodbending that my citizens will be grateful? They'll be terrified of me. My father spent his entire life trying to show the world that the Firelord was someone who could be trusted. Not a tyrant, but a partner in world peace. You think that no battles arose during his reign in which bloodbending could have been a powerful asset? I refuse to sacrifice all his hard work. You _will_ go without me." And with that, she waved the Korra, making it clear that the conversation was over. 

The words stung. Not so much because Izumi was refusing to help; Korra had kind of figured that would happen the first time she asked. But the sting came from all the other possibilities that whirled around in Korra's mind as she left the throne room and headed after Mako. If it was really true that Zuko had mastered bloodbending seventy years ago, then how many times had he refrained from using it in battle, just to keep it secret? And was one of those times his battle with Zaheer?

 _Would I have ever been poisoned if Zuko had used bloodbending on the Red Lotus?_ She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in the what ifs. Bolin needed her help.


	10. A Meal Between Enemies

The cage the metalbender gangers made for Bolin was nice and sturdy, and a surprisingly decent size. 

"Only the best for Nukbug," teased the big bloodbender who still controlled him. 

"Ugh! How many times to I have to tell you? It's pronounced Nuktuk-ahowf!" Bolin was tossed in and landed flat on his face, evoking laughter from the big guy, the metalbenders, and a irritated squeak from Pabu, who was still in his shirt. 

"Whatever you say, Nuktukahowf," he mocked, grinning. There were more than a few muffled snickers from the big guy's pals as he ushered them away. 

Bolin sat up and rubbed his most certainly now-purpling nose. The rest of his body hurt, too. His feet and toes throbbed from innumerable stubs on rocks and other things the bloodbender hadn't bothered to steer him around. And his muscles ached with the kind of deep fatigue he hadn't felt since his pro-bending days. He leaned against the cold bars, struggling against the urge to sleep. Not far away, he heard the leader of the gang giving orders. 

"The town's ours now. Pack up whatever supplies aren't nailed down." 

"What about the bait?" 

"I'll have the weapon guard him." 

It was nearly dark when Bolin woke again, and for a moment, he forgot where he was. He stood up too suddenly, whammed his head, and fell back over. 

_Oh, right. I'm in a cage. All because I had to go open my big mouth._

Of course, this cage wouldn't be a problem if he could metalbend. Why, oh why, couldn't he metalbend? 

"Well, looks like we've done it now, huh Pabu?" Silence. "Pabu?" He looked around. Where was the agreeable "churr" of reply? Or the wet poke of a little fire ferret nose on his cheek? Where was Pabu! "Pabu? Buddy, where are you?" 

He flagged down a nearby trio of gangers who flashed him a looks of amusement over their hefty bowls of stew. "Um, excuse me, evil kidnapper guys... have you seen my fire-ferret Pabu?" 

The three exchanged glances. One snickered. 

"Yeah, we seen him. 'Bout an hour ago before dinnertime." He crammed an enormous spoonful of stew into his mouth. "Mmmm... now that's good eatin'."

Bolin blanched, prompting the three gangers to burst out laughing as they wandered off. 

Bolin's heart sank. "Oh, Pabu! This is all my fault." He slumped down against the bars. 

"Churrr?" questioned a little ferret voice. 

"That's right, Pabu, I am an idiot! If only I didn't drag you out here, then maybe you'd still be--" He looked down, rubbing his eyes to see Pabu looking back up, his furry head cocked to one side. "Pabu!" Bolin hopped to his feet, scooped up his pet and twirled him about. "You're alive! And you're... owf... kinda heavy, actually." He blinked at his pet's overly round belly. "Who fed you?"

Pabu squeaked, wriggled free from his hands, and squeezed (barely) through the bars. 

A woman stooped nearby over a small cook-fire. She was roasting nuts by the smell of it. Bolin could hear them popping in the flames. 

Pabu went over to her and squeaked again. She glanced over. A hint of firelight reflected in her amber eyes. They reminded Bolin of his brother's eyes--flinty and dangerous. Yet they seemed to soften just a bit when Pabu nudged her. She pulled several nuts from the fire, blew on them, then offered them to Pabu. He made happy noises as he munched and he "churred" even louder when the woman ran a hand down his back. 

Bolin's stomach growled, drawing her gaze. Without a word, she left and returned a moment later with a bowl in her hand. 

"Here," she said, not unkindly, and slid a bowl of the evil bender's stew through the bars. Bolin peered at the food. It smelled like grease and old shoes and looked about as appetizing.

"Um, thanks," said Bolin. He put a small spoonful in his mouth, stiffened, turned a sickly shade of blue, gagged and finally managed to swallow. 

"On second thought... I'm not hungry."

\----

Fuse's captive was a horrible liar. For the next several minutes, she could hear his stomach growling all the way at her cook-fire. Still he edged the bowl of stew away like it harbored a contagious disease. Though judging from the smell of that stuff, it wouldn't have surprised her. 

She sighed. "I suppose I can't have you starving to death." Her handler had told her to keep the hostage safe, after all. 

Her own food was almost done. Boiled rice, fresh-picked spring greens, and some spicy roasted firecracker nuts. Not exactly a feast, but it would serve. She retrieved the grease-stew from Bolin's cage, making sure to toss the contents far out of stinking range of her camp, and rinsed the bowl and spoon. Then she divided her meager meal three ways, since Pabu already had his share. Of course, this didn't stop him from prancing back to Bolin's cage and trying to beg for more.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Bolin half-spoke, half-mumbled as he inhaled his supper. "Mmm. Wow, you're a great cook!" 

She didn't reply. Of course he'd say that. Anything would taste better than that shoe-leather stew.

She heard a rustle. Right on time. Shouga bounded through the foliage, this time hefting a shimmering river fish nearly the length of her body. She froze when she realized there were new visitors at the camp. 

"Oh, cool! A volcat! I've never seen one up close before!" Bolin exclaimed. He leaned close to the bars. "Hello there, little lady." 

Shouga looked hesitantly at him and started to back away. Bolin's face fell. "Oh, no! Don't be scared. I won't hurt you, I promise. See, I love fire ferrets." He grinned and held up Pabu as a shining example. Pabu churred in greeting. 

_They certainly are a friendly bunch, these two. Don't they remember they're prisoners trapped in a cage?_

Trapped. In a cage. Fuse felt an involuntary shiver at the thought, and she had to take a second to steady her breathing. 

_No fear._

Shouga slowly stepped back to the fire and the meal Fuse had set out for her, though she kept an eye on the two newcomers. Mostly Pabu, in fact. 

"Thank you again, Shouga," Fuse praised her. The fish she brought would more than feed the three of them and Pabu too, if he could manage to wolf down any more food. While she set to preparing it, Bolin amused himself making beckoning kissy noises at Shouga while stretching out his hand between the bars for her to sniff. Anything to try to lure her over for a better look.

"Shouga, what a pretty name. Yes, it is. Yes, it is."

Surprisingly, Shouga did eventually go over to him. Though only to snatch the fish kabob Fuse gave him right out of his hand. 

"Wha-- Hey, that's mine!" But Shouga was already darting away, tail bristling with excitement. Pabu squeaked excitedly at this and tackled Shouga from behind. The two ferrets toppled and rolled then bounced up again playfully and war-danced around each other, the pilfered kabob forgotten.

For all her training, this time Fuse couldn't resist a smirk. 

"Never try and get between a volcat and something it wants. They've even been known to chase off dragons."

Bolin's eyes got round. "No way! Really? I'd pay to see that."

Fuse didn't reply this time. She even wasn't looking at him anymore. Her attention was on the treeline and the faint sound of footsteps and cracking twigs. These weren't Shouga's footsteps either. They were like her master's. Not as graceful, perhaps, but soft as wind whispering in the night. 

The sound of them sent a tingle of nervous adrenalin down her spine. 

"Hey, sparky sparky boom girl," a husky voice broke in, along with heavy, uncoordinated footfalls. 

_Of all the lousy-timed--_

She turned and narrowed flinty eyes at the big bloodbender, Crull, who had shambled over and was now leaning on Bolin's cage. Judging by the color of his face, it was safe to assume the celebratory drinking portion of the evening was well underway. 

"Yes?" she asked. 

"Marren's whipped up her famous seven-layer dumpster cake. You should come have some." 

More cracking twigs. Another intruder, different than the one before, just at the tree line. If she moved quickly, she could get the drop on them. 

The oaf shifted around, stepping directly in her path. 

Her mouth twitched. "You spoke with Jarven? Then I'm sure he already explained why I'm here." 

"Oh, he explained all right. He says you have to do whatever he tells you. Well, tonight Jarven told us to celebrate! That means you too, Sparky." He took a swig from a large brown bottle and grinned. "C'mon."

"No, thank you." 

"Ah, c'mon. It's not really made in a dumpster." When she still didn't move, he pulled his hands in a bending stance, forcing her body to stiffen, stop, then turn around. She looked him square in the eye. 

"Release me." Her voice was unwavering.

"Not until you try a piece."

"I will not give another warning."

He was already moving away, dragging her along behind. 

"Hey!" Bolin banged his fists against the bars. "That's no way to treat a lady."

Crull gestured with his other hand, yanking Bolin up, then sending him crashing into the opposite side of the cage. 

"No cake for you, Nugglow." 

His concentration divided, Fuse jerked away. The prisoner stared in awe as if she'd danced away, nimble as an airbender. 

Fuse drew a quarter breath and exhaled with a sharp "huf." A beam of energy shot from her forehead and struck the earth between the bloodbender's feet just as he was shifting stances. He jumped at the sound and the spray of dirt. His right foot caught in a hole where solid ground had been just seconds before. He stumbled backwards, slamming hard into Bolin's cage. 

"Ow! Hey, that wasn't nice!" He tried to stagger up but his effort was stopped when the cage's bars sprang apart and curled around him like a snake. 

"Wah?" he stuttered. 

A woman dressed in Water Tribe gear stepped from the undergrowth. "It's pronounced Nuktuk!"


	11. Bolin's Rescue

No one would ever accuse Korra of being a strategic planner. The most strategy she'd put into this rescue was to leave Mako with the hot air balloon so they could make a faster escape. But, hey, among the many perks of being the Avatar was the ability burst into a scene and still pretty much defeat anyone who came her way. 

In her defense, she did at least look around before she threw the first fireball. She saw Bolin in the cage --now that seriously hacked her off-- two fire ferrets, (when did Pabu find a friend?), and two opponents. 

She'd dealt with the first guy already. He was wriggling back and forth mumbling something that sounded like, "Eh, wur the Avalar!" Now she just had to take care of--

Korra gasped. The woman standing next to the guy she'd metalbent into submission displayed the same eye-shaped forehead tattoo that P'li had. Her breathing sped up. 

_Okay, calm down, Korra. It's one-on-one. You can handle this._

Bolin's cage was strategically placed on some pretty sandy ground, but he was doing his best to climb through the convenient gap in the bars she'd left. If she could get a few rocks closer to him, all the better. Then it'd be two-on-one. 

_Unless this woman calls her friends,_ she thought. The combustionbender still hadn't made a move; she seemed intent on watching what Korra would do first. 

_Do I use bloodbending to keep her from yelling?_ Strategically, it made the most sense, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. 

Then she lost her chance to think any more. As soon as Pabu's ferret friend ran out of range, the combustion woman shot a ray of energy in Korra's direction. The impact hit the edge of Bolin's cage, leaving it broken and singed. Bolin squealed like a terrified kid as he toppled out of the cage and onto the ground. Pabu followed quickly behind him. 

"Leave my friend alone!" Korra demanded. Then, just to prove she meant business, she sent a burst of wind in the combustionbender's direction. The woman sidestepped it easily. 

"I don't miss targets that are only ten paces away from me," the woman said. "That was a warning shot. Your friend can go." 

"Yeah, well, if you want to play it that way, then-- wait, what?" Korra didn't drop her stance per se, but her defenses lowered. Since when did the people she attacked actually do what she asked?

"My handler only captured him to lure you here," the woman continued. "Here you are, so he is free to go." 

"But I want Korra to be free to go, too!" Bolin exclaimed. 

The woman narrowed her eyes. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I have my orders."

"Yeah?" snapped Korra. "Well, your orders can bite my--"

"Why are you even fighting us anyways?" Bolin jumped in. He pointed to the guy wrapped in the bars of the cage, who was struggling to get his hands free enough to do some bending. He wasn't having much luck. "I mean, that guy was a total jerk to you! Why do you want to be on his team?"

The combustionbender narrowed her eyes, and Korra thought this had to be the most ridiculous attempt to resolve a battle she'd ever been involved in. Even more ridiculous when it seemed like it was working. 

"I don't _want_ to be on any team. I'm a weapon. I perform as my handler commands." 

"That's sick," Korra spat, getting into an attack position again. Okay, she wasn't going to try bloodbending right now, but she was pretty sure she could take this woman with her air and firebending. 

Only she didn't get the chance to try. Just as she readied a fireball, Bolin ran past her, screaming incoherently. He was headed straight for the combustionbender.

"What the--?" she exclaimed. Her forehead mark started to glow, but Bolin tackled her as she fired, sending the beam blasting off into the sky. Korra heard it connect with something nearby, but she couldn't see what right away. This was bad. As the two of them rolled along the ground, Korra ran up to defend her friend. Then she felt her arms being yanked backwards. She looked over her shoulder to see that the bloodbender she'd trapped in the cage bars had managed to pull his hands partially free. He couldn't do much, but he could do something. 

_Tenzin would murder me for dropping my guard like that,_ she thought. _Probably Izumi, too. I'd get murdered twice._

Still, the fact that she was thinking about her teachers' wrath and not falling into complete panic meant some degree of progress. She focused on her arms. The bloodbender's lack of full movement left him pretty weak. Compared to Izumi holding her still, this felt like Korra was being held back by a toddler. She focused her powers and ordered her arms to move back into her command. They did so easily. The bloodbender's eyes widened in shock. Just to be on the safe side, she tightened the bars around his wrists and his fingers this time. Then she sprinted in Bolin's direction, hoping she wasn't too late. 

The two had rolled past the sand on onto more sturdy ground, where a few trees had taken root. Bolin was struggling to get the upper hand.

_She hasn't fired at him yet,_ Korra thought with surprise and relief. She shot a blast of wind that was supposed to push Bolin away from the combustionbender and leave Korra with a clear shot. Instead, the two combatants turned at the last second, and the combustionbender was hit with the blast instead. She flew backwards into the tree. Then Korra finally figured out where the stray beam had gone. A sizeable limb felt from the tree straight onto the combustionbender, smacking her on the shoulders and head. Bolin squealed as he rolled back. Korra ran up to their opponent. She appeared to be knocked out cold. 

"Aw, man!" Bolin said, getting to his feet. "That was scary!" He ran over the woman and pulled the limb away. 

Korra inspected the woman's limp form. There was some bleeding on the shoulder, and the obvious loss of consciousness, but she seemed all right otherwise. Korra could heal her shoulder if she had some water, but--

She heard footsteps approaching. "Um, I think this is about to get scarier," she said. Silhouetted against the setting sun, she could see a group of armed ruffians headed right for them. 

Bolin had scooped the combustionbender up in his arms. "Run for it!" he cried. 

Korra didn't argue. She should have; there was no reason to take along extra weight. The woman's comrades would have tended to her injuries. Maybe she was just too focused on escape to argue with him. 

The two of them kept running as fast as they could until Korra reached the grove where Mako had the balloon waiting for them. With a quick bit of airbending, she hoisted Bolin, the unconscious combustionbender, and herself into the basket.

"Go! Go!" she called. Mako didn't have to be told twice. He blasted one plume of flame after another above their heads. Within seconds, the trio had floated into the air, far out of range of even the most skilled bloodbenders.

\----

"What. Were. You. Thinking!" Korra snapped as the night wind whipped through her hair on the way back to the palace.

"What Korra said," Mako echoed. "Bolin, what made you think that capturing the combustionbender was even a remotely good idea?" 

Bolin shrugged, still holding the woman in his arms. Sweat ran down his face from his effort of running with her. "She said she was a weapon. Doesn't that _bother_ either of you?" 

Korra hadn't really thought about that. Then again, she had been trying to dodge explosions at the time. Mako spoke. Good, logical Mako. 

"She was still working for the bad guys, Bolin." 

"Not by choice," Bolin insisted. "Now she's free of those guys. Who knows, maybe we can even get her to help us." 

Korra looked at him like he'd turned into a flying bison.

"Oh, right, _that's_ how it works," she said. "So when the Red Lotus was trying to _murder_ me, all we needed to do was kidnap P'li and politely ask if she would be on our side now. What was I thinking?" 

Bolin made the sad face. She couldn't stand the sad face. "They were being jerks, Korra," he said. "You should have seen it. One of them even used bloodbending on her."

Korra shivered. She knew they weren't dealing with a nice crowd, but she'd have thought at the very least, they'd save the worst offenses for their enemies and not their allies. 

_Maybe Bolin is right. Maybe she wasn't anything more than an object to them._ She looked at the woman's shoulder. The bleeding had slowed, but still hadn't stopped yet. Korra reached into their water supply and drew some out, letting it rest overtop of the woman's injuries. As she focused and moved her hands, the water glowed and the bleeding ceased. 

"So, how exactly do you plan on explaining this to Firelord Izumi?" Korra asked as her hands moved rhythmically back and forth. "We can't just let this woman walk free in the capital." 

Bolin shrugged. "I was hoping you would take care of that part." 

Korra groaned and splashed some of her water in his direction. Of course, everyone always thought that as the Avatar she had a great relationship with world leaders. Hadn't anyone noticed when President Raiko kicked her out Republic City? Or when the Earth Queen sent an army after her? 

_I'm not exactly friends with Firelord Izumi, either._ Korra shifted uncomfortably against the rough wicker basket. Even with Bolin safe, she still couldn't get Izumi's last words out of her head. _"You think that no battles arose during my father's reign in which bloodbending could have been a powerful asset?"_ Korra gritted her teeth. She knew next to nothing about Lord Zuko's battles, but she still knew which of Zuko's battles she cared most about -- the one when he failed to contain the Red Lotus after Zaheer's escape. Just thinking about it ate away at her.

Of course, the only way to know for sure how that battle had played out was to ask someone who had been in it. That meant asking either Zuko, who she was pretty sure wouldn't be fully honest on the topic, or asking Zaheer, the man she could always count on to be way too honest. Also, the man that had tried to murder her. 

_No way. That is not an option. Bolin is safe now. I just need to focus on..._ Korra turned around to see the still form of the combustionbender lying behind her. She tightened her grip on the basket's edge. _...to focus on giving Firelord Izumi a really, really good explanation for all this._


	12. Second Chance

As it turned out, Korra came up with a very practical solution to keep Izumi from getting too angry about the captured combustion-bender. She simply didn't mention it.

"We should take turns standing guard over her," Korra suggested. Though she was pretty sure the palace staff wouldn't notice if one of their eighty-something guest rooms had an occupant for a day or two, she wasn't willing to chance it. Not after all the extra effort they had taken sneaking their new captive in without alerting the guards.

\----

Fuse stirred. It was quiet. Too quiet for the camp. And too clean-smelling. Had she been moved? She tried to remember, but her thoughts were fuzzy.

She heard footsteps in the back of her mind. Quiet as the wind whispering in the night. Master's face floated before her, younger. She was younger, too. Ten and a day. Master's son Eagon had surprised her the day before with a birthday present...

\----

_It was a book on dragons, her favorite. She had just barely managed to hide it before supper. Master had even ordered the kitchen orphans to let her have a second helping in honor of the day. Strange, it wasn't as good as she expected. The stew tasted funny and made her so sleepy, a tier three had to carry her back to her bunk._

_She hadn't woken there.  
  
Master was coming in now, young Eagon at his side. She tried to straighten to attention as expected, but found her hands were bound. Heavy chains suspended her from the ceiling in a small room with polished stone walls. A small hearth fire crackled at the far side, casting faint light over tables of glistening needles and other wicked-looking instruments. Master gathered one in particular that looked like a branding iron, along with seven long needles, and began placing them carefully in the fireplace's crackling embers.  
  
She swallowed.  
  
No fear. She remembered the words Master had taught her, but they were still just words. Inside, every part of her wanted to scream, to cry, to run. She didn't care how many meals Master would deny her or how long she would have to work without sleep. She didn't even care if Master brought out his whip. She'd risk the lash if it meant somehow getting out of this room. But when she tried to move, to scream, her body refused to obey.  
  
She looked to Eagon, a single desperate glance, when Master's back was turned. But he was hesitant to look at her.  
  
Master stood from the fire and crossed back over.  
  
"Now then, Eagon, let's see how well you remember your lessons." He edged the nine-year-old boy closer to her, finally forcing him to look at her directly. "Tell me, son. What are chakras?"  
  
The boy swallowed. "Chakras are the pools of energy that flow in our bodies."  
  
"That's right." He lifted a pen from the nearest table. "There are seven chakras in every person and together they help control the flow of energy. We call this energy chi. Learning to harness and control chi is how benders get their powers."  
  
He took a step towards her, pen in hand. "Can you show me where the seven chakras are?  
  
The boy nodded. He stepped around behind her. A moment later, she felt a little fingertip through the thin fabric of her tunic. Eagon pointed to a place on her back at the very base of her spine.  
  
"The earth chakra," said Eagon.  
  
"Good." Master walked around and made a mark with the pen in the place his son pointed.  
  
Eagon walked back around, this time resting his tiny finger slightly below her navel. "The water chakra." Again his father praised him, and again he made a mark on her skin where his son showed. The pattern continued. Eagon pointed to her stomach, the fire chakra, to her chest above her heart, the heart chakra, to her throat, the sound chakra, to her forehead between her eyes, the light chakra, and finally to the top of her head, the thought chakra.  
  
Each time Master marked the points with his pen--even the top of her head, which had apparently been shaven bald sometime overnight.  
  
"Very good, Son," he said when the final mark was made. "Each of these points is vital to the flow of chi." He set down his pen and took up a large stone bowl. He moved back to the fire, pulling out the branding iron. Heated molten orange from the fire, she could see the shape on the end was an eye. "Now what do you suppose will happen if one of these chakra points becomes blocked?"  
  
Eagon started at the molten red iron, not answering until Master snapped his fingers impatiently.  
  
"Um... the energy gets stuck."  
  
"Yes." Master nodded. Then he bent again, pulling out the seven long needles from the fire one at a time and resting the glowing tips carefully in the bowl. "If the chi can't flow properly, it builds up in the body like a mighty river trapped by a dam. That energy now has to find new pathways, otherwise..."  
  
He trailed, waiting for an answer. Eagon was quicker this time. "Otherwise the dam will break."  
  
Master crossed back towards them, setting the heavy bowl gently on the nearest table. "A broken dam is very dangerous. There is no way to control how fast or how far the water will go. If left unchecked, it could even flood entire villages." He picked up the smoldering iron. "But suppose we make another path for the water, a safe path leading away from the villages. We could even design that new river to carry our boats exactly where we want them, couldn't we? We could use that power as a tool to help rebuild our nation."  
  
"Yes, Father." A pause. "But what if the new river is too strong? Won't people get hurt?"  
  
"Some may, my son. Some may even die. But that's a risk we have to take. Our nation is at war, Eagon, the war to survive. And sometimes in war, sacrifice is necessary."  
  
"But--" Eagon pressed. "She's my friend. I don't want her to die."  
  
Master's mouth hardened. "The people of the Fire Nation aren't our friends, Eagon. They're wicked and greedy and want all the power in the world for themselves. Their army killed our ancestors, and if the Firelord ever found out some of us escaped and chose to fight back, she'd send firebenders to kill us, too."  
  
Eagon's face tightened. When he looked at her again, there was sadness and betrayal where friendship had once been. There was even a flicker of fear.  
  
No!  
  
Her thoughts raced. Her heart hammered in her chest. She tried to make her mouth work. To tell him that she'd never hurt him, even if she was a firebender. Tell him that she didn't want to die. But her tongue was still thick and tired from last night's stew, and her body wouldn't listen.  
  
Master set the iron into his son's little hands, then lifted him so he could stand on the nearby table.  
  
"Never trust anyone from the Fire Nation, son." He gripped the back of her neck hard with one hand, forcing her to stay still. The other closed around the iron his son still clasped, guiding it directly over the chakra point marked on her forehead. "No matter how innocent they seem."  
  
\----  
  
_ Pain flared through her head, bringing her back to conscienceless with a gasp. She wasn't in the tiny room. Or back in the bloodbenders' camp. She was in a bed with silk sheets in a small, but lavishly decorated room.  
  
The Fire Palace? She sat up, too quickly, bringing a wave of nausea and a sharp throb to her side.  
  
No fear, she thought. No pain. She breathed. There was protocol for this. First, physical evaluation. She drew a breath and felt pain again.  
  
Cracked ribs--two at least. And her head. She touched her forehead, half expecting to find the searing mark of a branding iron still raw. There was none. The wound was long healed and sealed with ink. She breathed again, shallower, trying to focus. The head pain registered again, a deep sharp pain in the back of her skull and a duller one that made her dizzy and sick to her stomach.  
  
A concussion. Wonderful.  
  
"Hey, you're awake."  
  
It was the boy from before. Had he brought her here? What kind of fool brought a weapon straight into the royal palace?  
  
She stood and assessed herself in a glance.  
  
A very trusting and friendly fool, apparently. He hadn't even bothered to remove her armor or to disarm her bending, not that she could use it in her current condition. He hadn't even taken the dagger off her belt!  
  
"Why am I here?"  
  
"Oh, that was my idea. See, Korra and Mako wanted to leave you, seeing as how you kinda tried to blow us up, but I told them all about how that creep Jarven was manipulating you."  
  
"You... defended me?" To say she was astonished was putting it mildly.  
  
"Well, yeah."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because... I used to work for Kuvira." He shifted his weight and shoved his hands in his pockets. "And I know what it's like to be manipulated into doing bad things."  
  
It was a nice sentiment. Really, it was. But he was not a weapon like her. Whether an order was good or bad made no difference to a sword. To the wielder, perhaps yes, but not the blade. It was a common mistake people often made when dealing with her kind.  
  
She started to speak, to correct him, but then she caught a glimpse of his eyes, and the words stalled in her throat.  
  
Why did that happen? He was not unattractive for what little difference that made. No. Something about the way he looked at her just then. Like she was somehow... more.  
  
He went on. "I got a second chance. I thought you deserved one, too." Then he grinned. "Plus, Pabu likes you. Believe me, if anyone is a good judge of character, it's Pabu."  
  
"Oh."  
  
She wasn't sure how to respond. No matter. It was time she stopped with the distractions, anyway. Her first priority, according to her training, was getting back to Jarven for further instruction.  
  
Given her current location, however, that part could be tricky.  
  
"Does the Firelord know about me?"  
  
He scratched behind his head sheepishly. "Not exactly."  
  
Spoken too soon, of course.  
  
Behind the door, muffled shouts sounded. And footsteps, a dozen at least. Heavily armed and armored. _The guards._


	13. Maybe She Won't Notice...

She drew her blade, fast as a serpent-viper, and grabbed the boy by the hair. 

"Wh--" he tried to gasp but stopped when she pressed her blade to his throat. 

"Be still," she said. "I don't really want to harm you."

The bedroom door flung open, and four of a dozen royal guards managed to charge in before they noticed her hostage. One guard, the leader of the unit judging from his uniform, even dared to take a step. 

"Stand aside," she ordered.

"Release the hostage and surrender," countered the leader. 

"I will not give another warning." 

The boy spoke, his voice tight with fear. "Will you back off already! The last guy she said that to nearly got blown to smithereens!" 

A bit overdramatic, but effective. The guards backed off. Inch by inch she edged them out of the room and into the hall with the boy as her shield. It was a surprisingly narrow hall by palace standards. The guards had to cram together two abreast behind their leader. Despite this, none of them had thought to block her path in the other direction. 

"Thank you for your help," she told the boy. Then, in a single fluid motion, she drew back her dagger, released her hold and shoved him forward into the leader of the guards. The two of them toppled backwards, smack into the rest of the unit, who fell like dominos. 

Fuse turned and ran. 

Behind her the guards shouted, and a few pounded after her. Their cries brought more guards from all directions. Two charged in from a balcony outside and stood poised directly ahead of her. But Fuse was moving too fast to stop now. She leapt aside, wall-running high enough to do a forward flip over their heads. She landed, somersaulted, and was up again before they could even turn. In front of her, the exit to the balcony loomed. She burst into the fresh air, not pausing even as her head throbbed from the change in light. Before her, the balcony railing was easily scalable. But it was three long stories down to the palace courtyard. Alarms blared loudly outside, drawing countless guards from all over. They scurried across the courtyard, shouting and pointing. One called out for archers to take aim. 

_Can't go that way._

She turned sharply, still not slowing. At the end of the long balcony, a corner of the palace roof jutted out decoratively. She leapt the railing and grabbed it, arching her body up with the momentum and releasing just in time for her feet to land steadily on the rooftop. She turned and continued up. 

If she recalled her history right, the royal palace was surrounded on all sides by a barren stretch of paved rock--to help the watchtower guards spot spies and assassins. It would be a hard sprint and without her bending she'd have to hand-fight her way around many guards. But beyond the palace's ring of protection there were courtyards and gardens and villas with plenty of suitable hiding places. To the east there was even a sizable lake. If she could cross it under cover of darkness, she'd be able to reach the wilderness. The guards would never catch her if she could make it there. 

She reached the top of the roof, pressing tight against the base of the great watchtower out of sniping range. A quick survey and she had her bearings. She'd have to jump to the roof of the east wing, then from there, to the barren ring. Assuming she could dodge the guards and the arrows, a hard sprint would get her to the docks where she could duck away until sundown. After that it was a matter of sneaking on a ship. Or better yet, stealing her own boat to get across the lake and into the forest. 

An arrow whizzed past her ear. Too close. It was now or never. She drew a breath. 

_No fear._

She moved. The roof was steep adding to her momentum. She would have to time her jump perfectly...

Her vision blurred, sudden and startling, and the roof lurched as if it was alive. She misstepped and fell, landing on already damaged ribs. 

_No!_

She flailed out her arms. One hand caught the edge just as the roof dropped away, and she was left dangling three stories above solid stone. Behind her came the unmistakable sound of twanging bowstrings. One arrow grazed her cheek. The new pain startled her and she felt the dagger drop from her other hand. She heard it clink hard on the stone below.

_That will be me if I don't do something._

She tried to reach, to get hold of the roof and hoist herself up. But the effort made her damaged side spasm. She looked down. Her dagger lay on the stone, its blade broken clean in half. A dozen guards glared up at her, weapons drawn. And more were still coming. If she managed to survive the fall, and that was a big if, she would not be in any shape to fight through them all.

There was no way out of this one. She stared at the ground, the place that would soon be her grave. No sense in delaying it any further, really. She had failed at her mission, her purpose. She was broken. Useless, like her shattered dagger. So why wasn't she letting go?

_No fear. No pain. No mercy._ The words echoed, but they had no meaning. Like back when she was still a girl chained in that room. 

She heard that child scream now as the tile beneath her fingers broke away. 

_No! I don't want to die!_

Suddenly, she felt something catch her. And it wasn't the ground shattering her body into bits, either. It was more like an invisible force, hugging her and pushing her upward. There was a rush a wind. She felt it playing with her hair. Strange, though. The wind seemed to be coming up from the ground...

Fuse closed her eyes and let the darkness swallow her. 

#

"I won't ask again, Korra. What is the meaning of your behavior?" 

Korra winced. When she met Zuko, he'd seemed kind and gentle. She could never picture him raising his voice or losing his temper. Firelord Izumi, on the other hand, was another story. Sitting regally in the Fire Nation throne with Korra several steps below her only made her fierce glare more intimidating.

"Calm down, your highness," she said, glancing nervously at Bolin and Mako, who stood to either side of her. "I understand you may be... upset."

"Upset? You bring a combustionbending criminal into my palace without telling me and you think that all I am is upset? I should throw you out of here!"

"No, no, please don't do that!" Mako jumped in. "I know we can still work together to come up with a solution for the bloodbending attacks that have been happening. And I'm sure if we plan things out right, we can re-take Sunport as well." 

Izumi narrowed her eyes at Mako. At least Korra had that in her favor. Izumi did have a strong sense of responsibility. She just had to keep the Firelord believing that part of her responsibility extended to not kicking the Avatar out onto the street. 

"I still plan to come up with a solution for that," Izumi said firmly, though the abundant vagueness in her statement didn't sound too promising. "In the meantime, we'll have that criminal locked away."

"No, don't do that either!" All eyes fell to Bolin. He somehow seemed surprised at this. 

_Dang it, Bolin, I'm having a hard enough time covering for myself here without covering for you, too._ "I think what my friend here is _trying_ to say," she announced through gritted teeth. "Is that we have reason to believe that the combustionbender was merely a captive of the bloodbenders, not a willing participant."

"Really?" Izumi stroked her chin, and for a few moments, Korra was actually hopeful. Izumi knew better than anyone how easily bloodbenders could manipulate people. Korra might actually have this.

"I obviously did not see you rescue your friend," Izumi said carefully, "nor did I see what just happened in the palace rooms. All I know is that my guards are giving me mixed reports about what happened when the combustionbender awoke, and my guard captain is complaining of a sore... ego." 

"She was just scared!" Bolin said. "She woke up in a strange place. Erm, not that your palace is strange. It's nice. Very nice. I like all the... the red stuff." 

Everyone glared at him now. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that when I was captured, Sparky-sparky, I mean-- the combustionbender was the only one who actually did something nice. Or fed me anything. And she even fed Pabu, too!" He pointed to the fire ferret, who still had a sizable belly to back up the story. 

"She shot a blast at this jerk bloodbender and never once attacked me," Bolin went on. "Honest!"

Korra raised an eyebrow. Bolin ending a sentence with "honest!" was almost a guarantee that he was lying. Firelord Izumi, however, didn't know that.

"All right, Avatar, since you seem so intent on keeping this combustionbender in my palace, what exactly do you propose I do with her?"

"Well, she could..." _Shoot, what do I say?_ Korra really wanted to smack Bolin for putting her in such an awkward position. She might very well do it after this conversation, too. "... could help me with training," she finally finished. 

"Go on," Firelord Izumi said. 

Korra scrambled for the right words. "I mean, combustionbending is a rare skill, and I haven't had a lot of opportunity to fight against it. But if there are gangs of bloodbenders showing up everywhere, I think we have to at least consider that there might be other types of new benders, too. I need to be as prepared as I can be." 

The silence that came afterwards was painful. Every second, Korra kept fidgeting around as she waited for Izumi's answer. Then, right when she thought she would go insane from waiting....

"Very well, Avatar. We will wait until the combustionbender recovers and then I want to speak with her. I will make a decision about what to do from there." 

Korra breathed a sigh of relief and made a courteous bow. "Thank you, your majesty. We appreciate it." She turned and walked from the room, motioning for Bolin and Mako to follow. She had some choice words for the two of them that she didn't want to be lost. But before that, she also had to get to healing that combustionbender. They weren't exactly friends; she wasn't even sure they weren't enemies. But few things tended to bridge rough relationships better than healing someone's cracked ribs.


	14. Fuse

The combustionbender lay in a pool of water while Korra's hands moved in a rhythmic motion over her. Water curled and turned in intricate patterns over the woman's body, but nothing seemed to do much good. Maybe Korra was losing her touch. She hadn't exactly called on her healing abilities in a while. Her eyes fell to the tattoo on the woman's forehead, and she tried not to shudder. The tattoo was slightly different from P'li's; no red lines crossing behind the picture of the eye. But still, the thought of what it could do didn't make Korra feel good. 

Maybe she needed more bubbly, happy thoughts for the healing to go well? 

Suddenly, the combustionbender stirred. 

"Oh, geez, you're awake!" Korra lost her concentration, and the water that had been floating a second ago now splashed into the pool. The combustionbender's eyes opened, and she quickly stared around her at the strange location. With no wish to have a similar incident to the one involving a knife at Bolin's throat, Korra tried to calm her down before anything else. 

"It's okay. You're not in danger. Well, unless Firelord Izumi changes her mind, but I'm pretty sure I've got that covered--" 

"I'm still in the palace?" 

"Yes. You were injured, and I'm healing you. So hold still." 

The woman looked like she had no idea how to take this sort of an order but obediently settled back into the pool again. Korra took one of those cleansing breaths Katara always went on about and began to bend the water into waves and tendrils again. Its healing powers glowed beneath her fingers. 

"My friend Bolin says you were nice to him when he was captured," Korra said as the waves of water began flowing over the combustion bender once more. "He also said that you even made a move against one of the bloodbenders." 

The combustionbender shook her head. "I shouldn't have done that," she said quickly. "He was my master's subordinate. I should not have attacked him unless ordered." 

_Because orders are the only reason to attack or not attack someone?_ Korra had no clue how to continue that conversation. "So, uh... what are your orders now?" she asked. 

The combustionbender's gaze drifted past Korra, as if this was a very deep question that required long hours of consideration. "At the moment?" she said at last. "None. You have effectively captured me, and I have failed in my escape protocol..." she swallowed a little uneasily. "Therefore I have no further objectives unless my master takes me back." 

"Oh. All right, then." Korra tried to focus on the water, even though it didn't seem to be doing much good. "So, um... who are you, exactly? Bolin keeps calling you Sparky Sparky Boom Girl." 

"That's not really my name." 

"That's what I told him." Korra forced out a laugh in an effort to hide just how tense she was right now. "Also, it's really confusing because that's what he called this other combustion bender we ran into a few years ago." 

"Which one?" It was the first time the woman had sounded a bit interested in anything Korra said. That was probably a bad thing. 

"Um, her name was P'li. She... died in battle." 

The woman did not seem at all phased by this. She merely nodded like it was, at best, an interesting tidbit of information. "P'li? So she gave herself a human name. How...strange." 

_If you ask me, this whole conversation is strange._

"Why is that?" Korra asked. 

"Weapons don't have names in the traditional sense like you humans. We called her Number 613." 

"Wait... you call each other by numbers?" 

"That's correct. I am number 843." 

Korra shuddered. She could see now why Bolin had been so unnerved. Just what sort of creepy society was this? 

The woman must have sensed her disapproval. She spoke again, "if you prefer, we are given labels for the convenience of our handlers. 613's was 'Pike.' Mine is 'Fuse.'" 

"I'll call you Fuse, if that's what you're used to," Korra said. "But I'm not calling you by some stupid number. That's messed up." 

Before the woman could reply, Korra looked over the targeted injuries to check on her progress and still discovered that almost nothing had improved. "It's also messed up how much trouble I'm having getting your ribs to heal!" She slammed her hands down to her sides, and the water fell once again. Fuse watched the childish display with indifference. 

"Healing relies heavily on the subject's chi flow," she finally said. "Mine is distorted." 

"How do you know that?" 

"Because that's how one acquires combustion-bending." She sat up in the tub, which had to hurt given her injuries, and leaned forward to give Korra a better angle at her exposed back. "It can still work, but you'll need to direct your healing water a bit differently than you normally would. I'll give you directions." 

"Um, okay," Korra said with a nod. She readied her hands into a waterbending stance again. 

"Very well. The earth chakra is completely blocked. Direct your energy at the sound chakra first." 

Korra nodded again, glad not for the first time that she'd had Katara as a teacher. The healing did start to go a bit easier, as Fuse had said, but it was still much more of an effort and more time-consuming. Korra felt like she had to yank the healing energy over Fuse kicking and screaming the whole way. 

"Interesting..." Fuse mused partway through Korra's work on the thought chakra. "You're a bloodbender." 

"What? How do you-- I mean, what makes you think that?" 

Fuse shrugged. "I imagine that as the Avatar, you have the capacity to learn it, and also I can sense it in your movements. When my body resists your healing, you attempt, subconsciously perhaps, to gain its obedience through bloodbending." She reached into the water and felt along the bandages covering her ribs. "It seems to be working, so perhaps it's a useful technique." 

"You can sense bending on that level?" Korra asked. 

"It was part of my training." There was a long space of quiet, filled only by the sound of water sloshing back and forth. The more Korra heard about this woman's "training", the more it scared her. Was this what P'li had gone through, too? Not that there was any excuse for what that woman had done, but-- 

"So, then, what do you plan to do with me?" 

Korra jumped a bit at the sudden sound of a human voice in the room, but kept talking without dropping any water this time. "Well, Bolin didn't want to see you locked up," the woman's shoulders tensed at this word, "so I kinda came up with the suggestion that you could help train me once your injuries are better." 

Fuse rubbed her chin. "I am rather skilled in the art of predicting attacks based on the bender's stances. I suppose I could teach you a bit of what I know." 

"Oh, I meant the sparky sparky boom thing. I wanna know how to defend against it." 

"Very well, then. That too." 

There was another long stretch of silence. Korra hated feeling this nervous and unsure of herself. She had enough of that when she was in the spirit world. 

"Also," she said, "and I probably should have led with this, but if you threaten any of my friends again, I will personally destroy you." 

Usually people cowered at Korra's threats. It was the most satisfying part about making threats. Fuse only shrugged. "Fair enough. I appreciate the warning." 

\---- 

Korra agreed to take Fuse to meet Izumi that evening, right after the both of them got a (well-deserved) rest. She had to admit, she wasn't looking forward to the encounter. A part of her semi-wished that after she slept all afternoon, she would wake up and find that the scary combustionbender part was all a dream and Bolin had just invited over some nice airbending girl he met in town. Who made pastries. 

As the sky changed from a cloudy afternoon gray to an purple evening fog, Korra yawned and ran her hands through her hair just enough to get it out of her face. She then threw on some clothes that didn't quite smell like they needed to be burned in a fire, and opened the door to her room. 

"You sleep late." 

"Ack!" Korra jumped a mile. Fuse was standing in the hallway, clean and dressed in uniform. Nope, it had not been a dream. This was definitely a combustionbender and not Korra's imaginary pastry chef. "Geez, you startled me," she said, gathering her senses and pulling the door shut behind her. 

"Yes. I inferred that from the way you yelled and jumped backwards." She glanced up and down at Korra's --okay, she would admit-- slightly disheveled attire. "You have a close personal relationship with the Firelord to dress so... casually for this meeting." 

Not caring to walk back in the room and fix herself up, Korra shrugged. "Yeah, that's me and the Firelord. Best buds. Come on, let's go. I want to get past the talking and onto the training part of this negotiation." 

Korra led Fuse confidently down the vast halls of the Fire Nation palace, only getting lost a few times. Even then, she kept up her stride and acted as if she'd totally meant to come this direction. She was pretty sure Fuse noticed, though. Especially when she passed the same guard twice. 

"So, yeah... the Agni Kai chamber... right this way," she said. At least she didn't have to worry about getting the room wrong. A giant image of two firebending figures poised to set each other's hair alight was engraved into the huge bronze doors. 

The guard at the door nodded at Korra, curled his nose a bit at Fuse, then stood aside. With a gulp, Korra knocked lightly, then entered. 

"There you are, Avatar," came Izumi's voice when Korra had barely stepped into the huge room. "I expected you an hour ago. You sleep late, it seems." 

"So I'm told," Korra muttered, closing the door behind her. When no one else in the room spoke, she stepped aside so Izumi and Fuse had a clear line of eyesight to each other. 

"Your majesty, this is Fuse, the woman I told you about. The, um... combustionbender that I'd like to have train me." 

Korra gave a polite bow, and Fuse followed suit. The room was largely open space, but with a huge, elevated throne for the Firelord to sit and observe whatever battle happened to be going on. Izumi used this to its full effect, towering over Korra and Fuse when she stood. She didn't invite them out of the bow, either. But Korra wasn't about to give herself a backache to stroke Izumi's ego, so she straightened as soon as she started to feel uncomfortable. 

Fuse stayed bowed. 

Izumi stepped down from her throne and narrowed her eyes at Fuse. "Rise," she ordered. 

Fuse obeyed. 

Izumi snorted. "You're polite for an assassin." 

"I am not an assassin, milady. That title is for people who gain profit from killing others. I am only a tool and gain no profit from--" Izumi held up a hand, clearly trying to look unflustered, but not doing a great job of it. 

"That's enough," she snapped at Fuse. "Tell me where you came from and why you attacked Sunport." 

Another nod. "Regrettably, I cannot tell you the location of my master's facility as precautions have been taken to ensure I do not know it. As for Sunport, I was acting under contract to a man called Jarven. You'll need to speak with him on the matter, milady." 

Based on Izumi's expression, Korra was temporarily happy that the Firelord didn't have any actual firebending skills. Something probably would have been in flames by now if she did. 

"And this... contract of yours. Is it--" 

"No longer valid, milady. I have been repossessed, if you would care to call it that." 

"We would _not_ care to call it that," Korra cut in, but Izumi held up her hand again. 

"I understand your aim is to teach the young Avatar how to counter combustionbending." 

"If that is what milady requires, yes." 

Izumi stroked her chin. "Very well then. We will have the training sessions here every morning starting tomorrow. I will oversee them. Should you prove to be a danger to the Avatar or myself in anyway, you will be immediately imprisoned. Do these terms suit you?" 

Korra felt a blast of fury inside her, but held it down. Instead, she looked at Fuse. The woman who had been so calm and impassive suddenly looked uneasy. Almost pale. Her voice shook a bit as she said. "Yes. The terms suit me just fine." 

\---- 

As Korra and Fuse walked out of the room, discussing what to try out first, Izumi took a seat at her throne once again. The idea of training the Avatar to face combat with combustionbenders was no doubt a total waste of time. Izumi did not know all the details of the strange tattoo she'd seen in all the photos of known combustionbenders, but it was quite clear to her that the technique involved some sort of specialized training. The odds were not likely that Korra would face another combustionbender in the battle to retake Sunport. The odds that she would have to counter bloodbending, however, were very high indeed. Korra had been doing better than Izumi expected, but she still needed more time to hone her skills. Time without guards or nosy brothers asking questions about what the Avatar and the Firelord talked about all day long. Training with this combustionbender might be the perfect cover. 

_This is all your fault, Dad,_ she thought, massaging her forehead. _You're the reason I have to be so guarded all the time._

She didn't know why she felt this anger at her father, exactly. But the thought had haunted her ever since she'd been a teenager. Aang was the Avatar. He and her father and their allies had saved the world. Surely they could have done something to prevent her from being born a bloodbender. 

Ah, but that was just fire over the furnace now, wasn't it? At least she had her one comfort, the same thing she drew on every time she felt like this. Her children did not inherit this cursed ability from her. Iroh proved it early on; his firebending skills were unmatched. He'd been trained by his grandfather, of course. Izumi and Zuko might not have seen eye-to-eye, but that didn't mean she was going to deny her son the best firebending teacher she could give him. 

Then there was her daughter, the true nonbender of the family. Izumi counted on her fingers. Iroh had just celebrated his fortieth birthday, so his sister would be turning twenty-four soon. Only a few years older than the Avatar. Maybe that was what made training Korra so difficult. It reminded Izumi every day that she had her own daughter, somewhere out in the Fire Nation, and that their relationship was broken. 

She rested her head against the back of the chair and thought of her own childhood, the memories she could never push away. 

_"Daddy! Daddy!" Look what I learned how to do!"_

_A young Izumi ran through the palace halls, heart pumping like a butterfly-sparrow. She'd been practicing for weeks to make sure she'd gotten the technique just right. Daddy was kind, but he could be a bit of a perfectionist, especially when it came to her special power. But today she had it. Today she would impress him._

_"Daddy? Where are you?" She peered around one corner after another, only running into stupid guards who asked her if she was okay and if she needed anything. It was annoying. They never asked her daddy those questions. Probably because he was a grown-up. When she was a grown-up, too, then they'd know she could fend for herself._

_"Daddy! There you are!" At last she found him in one of the study rooms. He had a pot of tea, freshly brewed jasmine by the scent of it, and he was looking over some boring-looking records._

_"Daddy, I learned something. Will you watch, Daddy?"_

_He laughed and pushed his work away. "Of course. What is it?"_

_Izumi licked her lips. She'd practiced countless times, of course, but always in her room alone. This was her first time having an audience. She closed her eyes, hoping that it would help calm her nerves. Then she focused all her energy and moved her arms and hands in the way Daddy had showed her. Only instead of focusing just on her feet as she often did in practice, she focused on her whole body. She imagined it lifted up off the ground. And it happened. It actually happened. She grinned._

_She waited for the praise, the gasp of awe at how much she'd accomplished. He did gasp, but it was not followed by any compliments._

_"Izumi, you mustn't do that out the open. Stop this instant!"_

_She did stop. Her feet came back to the floor with a dull thump. Her eyes burned with oncoming tears. What had she done wrong? Why didn't he like it? "But... I practiced, Daddy. I worked really hard."_

_His face softened. "I'm sure you did, my little phoenix. But we've talked about this before. You only practice that power when I'm training you, understand? No other time."_

_"But why?" It had been an innocent question the first time she'd asked it. A curiosity. But now it was just painful. Because no matter how many times she pleaded for an answer that made some sense, he never gave it to her._

_"Because..." His eyes searched the room. Endless stands of books and scrolls surrounded them. Like that ancient library with the giant owl that she'd read stories about. But Daddy had a look like even if he searched every scroll, every page, he'd never find a satisfying answer. "Because you could hurt someone," he finally said. She stopped asking questions after that. She'd also stopped trying to fly._


	15. Fruit Tarts and the Sparky Sparky Boom Thing

"No pain. No fear. No mercy." Fuse woke two hours before dawn. Firelord Izumi had granted her a bed in the guard barracks. The arrangement was a bit over precautionary seeing as how she didn't attack without orders and had already come to an agreement with the Avatar. But no matter. A bed was a bed all the same. She started to rise. Nearby her head something warm and furry stirred. Fuse smiled without thinking. 

"So you found me again, did you?" 

Shouga churred softly then rested her chin on Fuse's forehead, careful as always, not to touch her tattoo. "I suppose I could use the rest..." 

At dawn she rose, dressed, and tidied her bed. Shouga rode on her shoulders as a guard captain --the same one she had knocked flat on his backside the day before, actually-- escorted Fuse to breakfast as a testament to how "brave" he was. He put on a convincing act, too, until they reached the dining room and he tried to shove Fuse inside for emphasis. The last she saw of him, he was running the opposite direction screaming like a six-year-old girl, with Shouga snarling and snapping at his heels. 

_Served him right._

Korra was already in the dining room enjoying a plate of flatcakes with butter and berries, though she did pause eating to watch the guard flee. She smiled when Fuse approached, but it was a nervous smile. "Firelord Izumi has everything prepared. We're supposed to meet her after breakfast." 

"Very well." 

Korra nodded and gestured for her to sit. Fuse obeyed. One thing nice about the royal palace, there was no shortage of food. Fuse helped herself to a small bowl of rice porridge, some milk, and, because she was still recovering her stamina, a small slice of hippo-cow steak. At Korra's suggestion, she sweetened her porridge with a dollop of honey, and remarkably, found herself craving another bowl. 

She resisted the temptation, though, and did so again when the palace staff brought a plate of pastries with absurd, sugary icing. They had next to no nutritional value and still, the array of different colors fascinated her. 

"Excuse me, Avatar Korra?" A servant approached and dipped her head. "You have visitors." 

The two looked over simultaneously. It was the boy from before... Nuktuk, was it? His fire ferret and another boy with similar features. A brother, perhaps. 

Korra's face brightened. Happiness at seeing these two, mixed with a little relief as well. For all her smiles and small talk, the Avatar was still wary of her, whether she knew it or not. 

"Oh, hey, Mako. Bolin." She waved them over. "What brings you here?" 

The green-eyed brother, Nuktuk, (or was it Bolin now? She'd have to get that clarified later) scratched behind his head. 

"Oh you know, just passing through. Figured we'd say hi. See how you were doing... and are those fruit-tarts?" His eyes doubled at the sight of the colorful pastries. 

"Oh, yeah. Help yourself," offered Korra. 

He didn't need to be told twice. Fuse was a bit startled when he flopped into the seat beside her instead of one safely across the table. She didn't know quite how to feel about it, either. Granted, it wasn't the first time this boy's behavior surprised her. It was his irrational decision that got her here in the first place. Still, it wasn't like her to be so unprepared. It felt... strange. 

Mako, the amber-eyed brother was almost too predictable. He sat across the table beside Korra, brooding and distrustful. Not surprising. She had threatened his brother's life, after all. 

"So, um..." Mako began. "How are your talks with the Firelord going? You guys have any plans yet?" 

"Mmm," Korra said while downing a full glass of milk. "More, please." She thrust the glass out towards the nearest passing servant, who took it and hurried off. Korra shoveled some rice porridge with honey into her mouth in the meantime. 

"We've called for reinforcements from the United Republic," she said to Mako. "Iroh should be here in a few days. I think I'll be ready by then, but Izumi thinks I need at least a few more weeks. It's really annoying." She went to scoop more porridge from the serving bowl, only to find it was gone. She then pounded the bowl onto the table as if it had emptied itself just for the pleasure of witnessing its bearer's rage. 

"I hate sitting around, Mako. Who knows what those gangs are doing to all the citizens of the city while we wait around here? I mean, doesn't Izumi care what's happening in their lives?" 

Mako raised an eyebrow. Fuse thought at first he was about to express surprise at how casually Korra used the Firelord's first name. But no, his facial features indicated more confusion than shock. 

"The Firelord thinks you need a few more weeks of... talking?" he said. 

Korra got an expression that implied the porridge had suddenly hardened into a lump in her stomach. "Well, you know, planning and um... training with... uh, um..." she waved her hand in Fuse's general direction. "With Fuse," she finally finished. 

It was a lie. Fuse could tell right away, and she was quite sure that Mako could tell, too. The only question was what exactly the Avatar was lying about. People loved to wrap their lies inside truths. The fact that she and Korra were training togather obviously true, so perhaps the lie lingered in her words about the Firelord? 

Perhaps the Avatar was hiding something that she didn't wish Fuse to overhear. Fuse heard potential buyers voice that concern before, pointless as it was. If she had the opportunity to listen in on these two when she was not present, it might reveal much more information. 

_Information that is none of your concern,_ she thought to herself. Was business did she have being so curious, anyway? 

She reached for another helping of porridge, only to remember that Korra had single-handedly drained it of its remains. She settled for an apple while Mako eyed the empty serving tray. 

"You've got a healthy appetite for someone who's just been... talking these past several days." 

A good observation. The boy had potential. 

Korra laughed especially loudly in response to Mako's statement and slapped him on the back. Very strange behavior indeed. Why would Korra keep her intentions secret from those she called friends? Certainly not to protect them. These two were both skilled benders from what little she'd seen. Fear? Yes, that must be it. The Avatar was afraid of traumatizing their friendship with whatever secret she was guarding. It didn't make a lot of sense to Fuse. Then again she was not trained to deceive or make friends. Weapons had no need for either. 

"Churr?" she felt a nudging on her arm and looked over. Bolin's fire ferret, Pabu, was sitting on the table giving her a very pathetic look. Wordlessly, she carved a slice from her apple and offered it. He made a delighted squeaking noise. The sound sent a strange pang through her. Weapons didn't make friends. But Shouga and Pabu didn't seem to understand what she was. Was that why she enjoyed their company so much? 

Come to think of it she would need someone to watch over Shouga for her while she was training Korra. This wasn't the forest anymore and she highly doubted Shouga's wild volcat tendencies to hunt, forage, steal and hide things would be tolerated. Shouga seemed to like Pabu's company. Perhaps Bolin would be up to the task. 

She glanced his way. Bolin was busy munching down his third pastry, heedless of the multi-colorful jelly patterns that were accumulating on his face. She must have stared a little too long because Bolin shot her a perplexed look. 

"What? Do I have something on my face?" 

She wasn't sure if he was joking but she smirked a little just the same. 

"I must ask a favor." 

Mako piped up. Fuse suspected he might. "If it involves using my brother as your shield again, the answer is no." 

She met his eyes equally serious. "It does not." 

"What is it?" asked Bolin as he rubbed his face down with a napkin. 

"I need someone to keep Shouga out of trouble while I train the Avatar." 

"Oh sure, no problem. I can totally handle that." He took another pastry from the now half-empty tray. His brother sent a disapproving look his way. 

"Really, Bolin?" 

"I can't help it. They're so tasty." 

"No. I mean agreeing to help--" Mako massaged between his eyes. He poured his attention to poking an array of steamed dumplings with the broad end of a chopstick. "Forget it," he muttered. 

No problem there. It seemed Bolin already had. "Mako and I used to beg our parents for these all the time when we were kids. Cherry is my favorite. How about you?" 

"I wouldn't know." Her answer was honest. But it triggered a surprisingly strong reaction from Bolin. 

"Haven't you ever had a fruit-tart before?" 

"No." 

"Seriously?" his expression changed, giddiness shifting to disbelief and ... pity? 

What an odd reaction. Who in their right mind would pity a weapon? "Seriously," she said, which inevitably prompted the boy to slide the tray closer. 

"Well then, today's your lucky day." 

She failed to see how luck had anything to do with eating baked goods but decided to humor him anyway. 

Fuse picked up the smallest fruit-tart and examined it closer. The pastry had a soft, doughy texture and the outer layer was covered in a fine sugar that stuck to her fingers. On the top, a well of yellow jelly oozed. She took a small bite off the top and was startled by the unexpected tartness of lemon. 

"Try eating it from the side, like this." Bolin demonstrated, taking a bigger-than-average bite of his own pastry for emphasis. 

Fuse took another bite, this time making sure to blend the lemon with the doughy, sugary outside. The texture was cakey and gooey with a wonderful crunch from the sugar. And the flavor... 

Bolin watched her expectantly, waiting for a response. 

"It's..." Fuse fumbled for the proper word that could possibly describe the fantastic-ness that was a fruit tart. She decided to go with Bolin's description. "...tasty." 

A _clank-thunk_ noise sounded near the dining room entrance drawing gasps from servers and snickers from palace guards. A moment later Shouga emerged butt-first, dragging a certain Fire Nation captain's helmet by one of its pointed prongs. She pulled her prize over to Fuse's feet, where it landed with a loud clang. Somehow, this seemed to startle Bolin's brother out of his dazed chopstick assault on the dumplings, and he straightened in his chair. 

"Hey, Korra. Is there a library somewhere around here?" 

The Avatar rolled her eyes. "No, Mako. We're in the Fire Nation palace. There's no way anything resembling a library exists around here." 

"Palace. Right." Mako seemed to have his mouth at the table but his brain in a completely different world. His eyes darted back and forth, clearly lost in rapid, disjointed thought. "Any idea how I would get access to that library?" he asked, first looking at the food, but then back at the Avatar. 

"Gee, I have no idea. Have you tried asking the Firelord?" 

"Firelord. Of course. I'll ask the Firelord." He stood up from the table, smacking his leg against the chair. "Thanks for the advice. Firelord, Firelord..." He continued muttering to himself as he grabbed an additional dumpling and left the room. 

Fuse finished the rest of her pastry, wiped the sugar of her mouth and fingers, and cleared her throat. "Right then, now that that's settled." She stood indicating to Korra. "Shall we?" 

Bolin picked up the helmet, Shouga still latched on to the point, snarling."Are you guys doing sparky sparky boom stuff now?" 

"That's not its name," Fuse corrected, "but... yes. Yes, we are." 

\---- 

Korra led Fuse on the way to the Agni Kai chamber (only getting lost once this time). Inside Izumi was sitting on her throne looking irritated. She eyeballed Fuse. 

"I have an entire unit of guards posted just outside. If you so much as put a toe out of line--" 

Fuse didn't flinch. "Understood." 

Next she nodded to Korra. "Right then. Time to start. Your goal is to strike me. Use whatever bending you like." 

Sounded simple enough. 

Korra moved, shifting halfway into an earthbending stance. Better to start slow since Fuse was still recovering. No sooner had she readied herself, however, she felt a blow on the shoulder, and her feet were kicked out from under her. 

She landed on her back against the smooth, and all too annoyingly familiar, marble. 

"Hey! That was a cheap shot!" she yelled. It felt good to yell for once. She couldn't exactly go around mouthing off to Firelord Izumi when they had lessons. 

Fuse backed off a pace, waiting for her to rise. "You have slow reflexes," she observed. "I'll move at half speed." 

Korra glared, took a waterbending stance, and was knocked down again. 

"Come on, Avatar. If this was a real fight, I would have killed you twice already." 

What was it with her so-called teachers kicking her around and calling it training? "Well, maybe I'd do better if you actually taught me something useful!" 

"I am." Fuse threw a punch. Instinct brought up Korra's hand just in time to block it. "You see? That time you didn't think. You saw the attack and let your body decide how to counter. That's all a fight is. Moves and countermoves. It should be the same with your bending." 

Fuse darted back a few paces. This time Korra tried fire. Though her aim was good, Fuse still dodged it easily. 

"Knowing the correct counter is only part of this technique. Knowing your opponent is the other. You, Korra, anger easily, and when you're angry, you instinctively tend to use firebending." 

Fuse dodged the second fireball that Korra was in the middle of lobbing, darted within an inch of her, and flicked Korra on the forehead. "Which is precisely why I provoked you earlier." 

Korra fumed. Behind her she heard Firelord Izumi mumble something, then cough deliberately. "The girl has a fair point, Korra. In battle it is best for a warrior to utilize _all_ their strengths to their advantage _without hesitation_." 

"Working on it," Korra snapped, not turning around. Izumi was right, of course. Quick as she was, Fuse couldn't counter bloodbending. Still... 

Korra sucked in a breath, readied a fire attack, then changed her stance at the last second. A strong air gust pelted Fuse, sending her hurtling backwards, just like when they fought back at the bloodbender gangs' camp. 

Fuse tucked and backflipped several times, landing gracefully several meters away. 

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's predictable." Korra grinned. 

Fuse smirked too. "So you were paying attention after all. Good. You're going to need that focus for the final lesson." 

She drew a breath, shooting a beam of heat at Korra's feet. Korra dodged aside, barely avoiding the spray of pulverized marble that flew at her face. 

"When you face a combustionbender, don't ever let them get out of range."


	16. Suspicion and Fear

Mako knew something was wrong. Korra wasn’t just making chitchat with the Firelord during all those meetings, for one. And besides that, he didn’t trust that weird combustionbender one bit. Not to mention that thing with Korra learning how to fly all of a sudden. She’d never brought it up or demonstrated it again after that one incident. Korra not bragging about a newfound skill was a whole level of strangeness on its own. Mako had a few theories on what exactly everything meant, but he needed more information. Theories were useless. Facts were vital. And if he could get to the Fire Palace’s library, he’d have all the facts he needed.

Surprisingly, Mako found it more difficult to locate Firelord Izumi inside her own palace than he originally thought. Although the palace guards let him wander most hallways freely, they didn’t let him peek in random rooms, and they were pretty vague as to their leader’s location. Mako finally made some progress when he overheard a few of palace staff saying that the Firelord’s training with the Avatar would begin in the Agni Kai chambers momentarily and that no one was to disturb them. Using his well-honed detective skills to deduce that the Agni Kai chamber was behind the doors with the giant pictures of firebenders on them, he waited in the closest hallway the guards would allow until Firelord Izumi came walking into view.

“Your majesty,” he said, running up and making a quick bow to her. “Sorry for disturbing you, but I needed to ask a question about–”

“Wait, who are you again?” she asked, adjusting her glasses. “Are you new to the palace staff?”

Mako felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Why did everyone remember Korra and Bolin and never him? “No, your majesty,” he said. “I’m friends with the Avatar.”

“Ah, that’s it. I knew you looked familiar.” She looked him up and down, and a bit of recognition seemed to spread across her face. “You’re the brother that’s the big mover star, right?”

“No, no. I’m the other one.” Another mental punch to the gut. And that one he’d thrown himself. Still, Mako tried to stay in good spirits. “I was wondering if I might have permission to enter your library. I love… books, you see. Um, and scrolls. All kinds of things with writing on them. That are found in libraries.”

“Yes, my library does have…” Izumi raised an eyebrow, “scrolls. You have my permission to peruse the collection if you would like.” She nodded to the guards. “If he breaks anything valuable, you may decapitate him.”

“Of course, your majesty.” The guard snickered. Which made Mako almost 100% certain that the Firelord had been joking. Only she hadn’t smiled.

“Wait, is she serious?” he asked. The guards didn’t answer. Mako rubbed his arm. Well, it seemed like in the best interests of everyone, he had better at least search the library carefully.

—-

Slow-reflexes and short-temper aside, Korra was a worthy foe. Indeed, fighting her was like fighting six different benders simultaneously. It could be done but the fight pushed all of Fuse’s martial training and agility further then she had ever been allowed. Or ever dared.

It was thrilling.

In fact, Korra herself seemed impressed with her maneuvers, which was a thrill in itself. Fuse wasn’t even sure why. Weapons didn’t need praise. She certainly never got any from her master no matter how quick or cunning she had become.

Fuse dodged aside, barely avoiding a fireball and a jagged rock hurled in quick succession.

_No time to dwell on that now._

Fuse was dancing around Korra’s water whip–no easy task as the Avatar was born to the Water Tribe and was especially proficient with Southern waterbending styles–when Fuse felt a slight cramping in her legs. No. More like a tugging. Korra was trying to use bloodbending to slow her so she could close the gap between them.

A smart move if she had the courage to execute it. But she was hesitating. Why?

One look at Korra’s face and Fuse knew why. It was one thing to bloodbend healing energy into damaged tissue, and quite another to use the technique to attack someone. Had she ever even used bloodbending in a duel before?

Fuse shot another combustion blast, this one at knee level. It wasn’t even close to a direct hit, but the explosion still forced Korra to dodge and lose what little grip she had.

“It will take more than that to hold me still,” Fuse told her. She didn’t give Korra time to regain her invisible hold. True, Fuse might have not been able to counter bloodbending, but she knew the technique required concentration. The more she moved, the harder it would be for Korra to focus on a single muscle group.

What Korra lacked in patience, however, she made up for in determination. The instant Fuse gave her an opening, she tried bloodbending again. Her grip was harder this time, and only on one very specific point. Fuse felt the tug in her right ankle just as she finished hand-springing over the ice shard Korra had tried to fling at her. Then there was a jolt of pain as the muscles in her ankle seized unnaturally. Fuse yelped, landed badly, tripped, and rolled.

 _No pain._ She breathed. It was already gone. Korra hadn’t even tried to hang on. Why?

Fuse was on her feet, ready to move again. Then she saw exactly why. Stone walls leapt up around her, closing in.

_No!_

She sprang clawing for the top and the gap that was growing ever smaller. No good. She fell and toppled ungracefully backwards. No one saw.

Darkness closed in. She was trapped.

Her breathing quickened. Outside the stone wall she could barely make out Korra’s voice.

“You’re good. But you said part of this technique is knowing your opponent. I saw how you tensed up yesterday when I mentioned prison. You don’t like being caged.”

“Release me!” Fuse yelled, her voice just on the edge of control.

“Not until you concede the match,” said Korra, all too proud of herself.

“I said let me out! Do it now!” Her voice was shrill now. Not hers at all. The voice she heard belonged to a much younger girl. A child’s. “Let me out! Let me out! _Let me out!”_

A voice echoed back, soft as a whisper in the night.

_“Only when you learn to obey.”_

Fuse clamped her eyes closed, heedless of the tears that squeezed out.

“No fear. No pain. No mercy,” the words came, reassuring and familiar–as familiar as her training. There was protocol for this. Escape by any means necessary, no matter the personal risk.

She pressed back against the furthest wall and slammed her palms over her ears.

 _No fear._ She drew a deep breath as if readying a scream and fired. The force of the explosion rattled through her bones. Fire surged around her, just for a second, singing her exposed skin.

_No pain._

The rock wall exploded outward filling the air with dust and noise. Fuse opened her eyes. There was the gap. Her escape. She leapt out, ignoring the throb of burns and her ringing ears.

Her vision refocused. There before her stood a young woman, the source of her incarceration. Panic shone vivid on her face—a fear Fuse knew. This was the look that prey got when faced with a weapon. Was this girl her prey?

Fuse couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter. Protocol demanded she escape, and this girl was standing in her way.

_No mercy._

Her body moved. Instinct and adrenalin drove her forward. The prey was still in shock. She didn’t even try to run. Not until Fuse gripped her throat and slammed her around into the rock wall. Then her eyes got huge.

“Fuse–what–” she managed to squeak. Fuse tightened her grip, choking off her breath. The girl she pinned fought back, digging her nails into Fuse’s wrists with one hand while trying to gesture with the other. A ripple of pain spread down Fuse’s fingers, trying to work them open against her will. Bloodbending.

Fuse drove her knee into the girl’s gut, knocking out the last of her breath. She lost consciousness. Strange though, the bloodbending didn’t stop. If anything, it was getting worse. How could that be? Fuse struggled to understand as her fingers were forced open before her eyes. The pain radiated down her arms next and the same invisible force yanked them back hard.

Fuse let out an involuntary howl. She couldn’t help it. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to fight back. But if her arms were pulled any harder, they would be dislocated from her shoulders. She whipped her head around. The Firelord was less than fifteen paces away and coming closer. Fuse watched her hands move with careful precision.

The Firelord was a bloodbender?

Fuse felt her legs starting to burn. Soon there would be no chance of escape. She drew a breath, aimed… started to fire. The Firelord jerked–probably out of reflex, jarring Fuse off balance in the process. Lucky for her. Fuse’s shot missed. The Firelord scrambled aside, dodging the explosion that would have taken her out. Her grip on Fuse tightened yet again. Fuse collapsed to the marble. Pain coursed down her spine and through every muscle. She couldn’t move. Her body, her life, was in this woman’s hands now.

“Please… please don’t kill me,” she heard a voice rasp. The Firelord paused, startled. Fuse was startled, too. Who said that? She strained to see around the dark spots in the corners of her eyes. The prey-girl was still out cold.

Her eyes glazed. Then closed. And in the final seconds before darkness took her, Fuse realized the plea was hers.

—-

_It hurt to move. And it was dark. So dark. She had been in this darkness before. When was that? She was young, seven or so. Fuse flinched. She wasn’t supposed to remember. But the memory came anyway creeping, like whispers in the night. She saw the woman who pulled her from her burning home. Who gave her food that made her sleep. Who put her in the metal crate._

_She could hear the woman now, drumming her fingers on the lid of that crate. Waiting._

_Then a door opened._

_“Can I help you?” asked a soft voice._

_“I have a ‘shipment'”_

_“Of what?”_

_“‘Arrowheads’.”_

_“Oh, I see. Welcome back, sister. Come in and let’s have a look”_

_The woman moved the crate inside and there was the sound of a heavy door closing. A man in yellow robes came over and leaned down, sticking his face in front of the tiny barred window. She heard prying sounds and then a sharp crack as the lid of her cage came away._

_“Chained? And gagged too?” The yellow robed man almost chuckled._

_“Had to. She wouldn’t stop screaming for her parents. Nearly blew my cover.” The woman held out a bandaged hand. “And almost bit off my finger!”_

_“A feisty one, excellent. My father will be pleased. Bring her.”_

_They moved further inside, yellow robe leading, the other wheeling her crate on a squeaky pushcart. The little girl couldn’t see where they were going through her barred glimpsing window. All the walls looked the same. It smelled musty, though, like somewhere deep underground. The man and woman chatted as they walked. Their footsteps were surprisingly light, barely echoing._

_“Got word from down south. One of our brothers plans to ‘encourage’ another uprising.”_

_“These Fire Nationers, always so eager to fight, even against their own people.” The yellow robed man tsk-ed. “Entire villages wiped out… even the children… all for the sake of the very family who promised to bring peace.”_

_“Or at least that’s what the reports say. Right, Eli?”_

_“No survivors, no one to search for. No questions asked.”_

_They stopped in a small room and the two lifted her metal cage off the pushcart to the floor. It echoed with a dull ta-dunk. Afterwards Eli handed the woman a heavy coin pouch._

_“For the glory of our ancestors,” said Eli._

_“Go in peace, my brother.” She hefted the bag. “You let me know if there’s any more ‘incidents’ that need starting or ‘shipments’ that need picked up.”_

_“Of course.”_

_She departed, nodding a greeting to a second robed man who was just coming in. He was older than Eli by many years but the two looked strikingly similar–narrow faces, hazel eyes and shaved heads. A tall woman with a tattooed forehead towered behind the older man, stiff and silent._

_“I hear we have a new shipment,” said the older man._

_Eli nodded. “Yes, Father. Though I’m afraid she’s a bit… willful.”_

_Eli’s father smiled. “Willful is good.” He gestured to the woman behind him. “You remember how feisty Pike was when she arrived? And look at her now. The willful ones may not break as quickly as the rest, but when they do… oh, what weapons they become.”_

_He leaned over her crate and gestured with one hand. Air swirled around the little girl, lifting her from her side to her knees. She shot a pleading glance to the tall tattooed woman, Pike. When she didn’t move, the child glared daggers at the two men._

_The older one cackled. “Such defiance.” He glanced over his shoulder at Pike. “Remove the gag and chains then put her in the cells. Three days without food and water should change her attitude.”_

_The tattooed woman approached and hefted the little girl over her shoulder. The little girl squirmed in her grip but, oddly, the woman didn’t scold her. They went down stairs and through corridors, finally stopping in a stone-walled chamber. A single sputtering torch lit the room, casting dim firelight on a row of metallic grates in the floor. The cells._

_She didn’t want to go in there. She was filthy and stiff and her wrists hurt from where the chains had cut into them. Most of all, she was scared. Why had these people brought her here? Where were her mom and dad?_

_“Be still,” the woman told her as she removed the gag and the chains. The girl obeyed this time, if only to get free from the bindings. She thought about running, but Pike had closed a heavy door behind them. She was trapped._

_“Please,” she looked up at Pike with huge, frightened, eyes. “I want my mommy and daddy.” She tried to sob, but her mouth was too dry._

_The woman didn’t answer. She lifted open one of the grates, paused, reconsidered. She grabbed a waterskin from a guard station nearby. She held it to the little girl’s mouth, letting her take a long drink before refilling it with more water from a barrel._

_“There is a loose brick in the far wall. Make sure to keep this hidden or Master will punish both of us.” She told the child, handing her the skin. Then, gently, she lowered the child down into the tiny cell and closed the grate._

_The little girl started to cry. “I don’t–wanna be in here–I wanna go home!”_

_Pike’s expression didn’t change, but her eyes were sad._

_“This is your home now."_


	17. Izumi's Bargain

Mako flipped through page after page, blowing away the dust that choked his lungs when he got to a particularly aged volume. The Firelord kept meticulous notes of all the goings-on of her nation. Unfortunately, it seemed, that while she read everything carefully, there was no system in place to look for an organized pattern across events. Once recent events were no longer recent, they were simply filed away by day and year. But Mako could handle re-organization. Really, after dealing with the way Lin handled police reports ("Put this in a place" was her favorite phrase when handing him something important), this was a breeze. 

It took him a few days, but soon he was able to find something interesting. The Fire Nation suffered a number of civilian uprisings in the past few decades, starting from the time Firelord Zuko came into power. There were quite a few direct assassination attempts in the first few years. Although those trickled off after some years, the village riots and attacks never did cease completely. In fact, they seemed to be quite a regular occurrence. Once a moon cycle, more or less. And always in the chaos, one small village would get attacked by bandits who left no survivors. It was all just too regular. Too organized. And then there was the Firelord herself. Mako could not find a single account of a nonbending Firelord in the nation's history. What did that mean for her? Mako could tell he was on the edge of discovering something big. Very big. He just need a little more data. A little more time. 

\---- 

Fuse twitched when something cold hit her arm. There was a dripping sound, and the air was dank. She opened her eyes slowly and flinched when another drop of condensation hit her on the cheek. She tried to raise her hand to wipe it away. Her arm didn't budge. Her wrists were bound. 

She sat abruptly. Her body ached, and there was a tightness around her head. Metal bars surrounded her, seemed to close in. She sucked in a panicked breath, drawing her power to blow apart the accursed cage--and a make a hole through the wall if necessary. But before she could focus her chi, another drop of water hit her, this one down her neck. The sudden chill forced out her breath in a gasp. 

She drew another and exhaled again, slower, just like Master taught her. Each time grew easier, let her think a little clearer. 

_I nearly killed the Avatar. Of course I'd be imprisoned._

_No fear_. Breathe. 

_And this is the Firelord I'm dealing with. She'd take precautions so I can't combustionbend my way out._

_No fear._ Breathe. _That would explain the tightness around my forehead. It's probably a restraint._

_No fear._ Breathe. _I'm trapped._ Breathe. _I'm going to die here._ Breathe. _Unless... unless I can bargain with her._

What was she saying? Weapons didn't bargain. Weapons did what their handlers commanded. But the Firelord was commanding she stay in a cage. The Firelord who was also a bloodbender... 

_No fear._ Breathe. 

_I can't be locked up again._

_No fear._ Breathe. 

_Not ever again._

\---- 

Izumi stomped down the stone steps leading to the dungeon. She was a fool, an utter fool to have let that madwoman loose in the palace for even a moment. Korra might be the Avatar, but she was no judge of character. Nor did she have the stomach for dealing with criminals as they needed to be dealt with. 

Izumi, however, had plenty of experience. She did not take a guard with her. In fact, she did not even inform the guards of where she was going. This was going to be clean and simple. And if that combustion woman tried to make it anything else... well, Izumi was more than capable of defending herself. 

She approached the prisoner's cell. Fuse... was that the young woman's name? Whatever her name was, she was not doing well. She sat on her knees, swaying forward and backward, her chains clinking together in a dark, musical rhythm. She could not stand being caged. Korra was right on that count. Izumi would be able to have her talking quickly. 

At the sound of Izumi's footsteps, the prisoner's head shot up. The swaying stopped, but the chains still clinked, as Fuse continued to rattle them in a rhythmic fashion. Her breathing was fast, like that of an overheated rabbit-dog. 

"Release me," she said. 

"You're in no position to make demands." Izumi narrowed her eyes at the metal restraint covering Fuse's tattoo. She had never met a combustionbender in person before, though she had seen plenty of photos of P'li when the criminal was still at large. Her father had come home especially to protect her. He couldn't really do otherwise without looking like a terrible parent. They'd had a mild chat over tea, him quickly leaving for the South Pole once Zaheer and her cohorts had been defeated. 

The chains clinked a bit slower now. "It was not meant as a demand, milady. More like a... bargain. Release me from this cage, and I will keep certain secrets about miladyship's bending abilities... secret." 

Izumi's chest tightened. _No, it can't be._ No one had ever accused her of bending, even firebending. Her people's vision of her as history's most helpless Firelord was nothing short of infuriating at times. She took a slow breath and readjusted her glasses. "Your memory must still be a little hazy. Otherwise you'd recall that I don't have any bending abilities, and it was the Avatar who fought you off." 

"An impressive lie, calling yourself a nonbender. You've honed it well. Though I imagine you would after a lifetime of practice. Under different circumstances I might even have believed you. But as it was, I watched the Avatar fall unconscious before I was attacked. I know you are a bloodbender, milady. And a skilled one, at that." 

This was enough. The woman's signs of panic were quickly fading as she no doubt perceived herself to be gaining the upper hand. Izumi had to assert herself. She could not lose ground so quickly. "How dare you presume to know anything about--" 

"You are the daughter of Lord Zuko, a hero of the Hundred Year War and a skilled firebender. You, however lack this skill, a fact that you resent bitterly. You resent this almost as bitterly as your command of bloodbending--a skill you shouldn't even have." 

_I need to leave. I'm not gaining anything by staying here._ For a moment, she did turn towards the door. What would really happen if this woman spread such a rumor? Who would believe it? But still, the uncertainty ate away at her. She had to know how she'd revealed herself and how much she had done so. She faced Fuse once again. "Though your theory continues to be woefully wrong, I'll remind you that many citizens now possess abilities they shouldn't otherwise have. It was called Harmonic Convergence." 

Fuse shook her head. "No. Your skill level is too advanced for that. You were born a bloodbender. And you've sharpened that skill from a very young age." She struggled against the chains again, taking a few heavy breaths. "You also push your glasses up with your index finger when you lie, so there is no point in trying again." 

"I do no--" Izumi began, only to realize her finger was already on the bridge of her glasses. She scowled and put her hand down. _What am I doing wrong? Have I really become so obvious?_

"No," Fuse went on. "It isn't that obvious to everyone else. I've been specially trained to read body language. Even cues as subtle as yours." 

She shifted back and forth a bit, trying the chains again. When she discovered they had not magically melted away, her signs of panic resurfaced. Izumi watched a drop of sweat trickle down her cheek. 

"So then," Fuse said between shortened breaths. "Do we have an agreement?" 

For the first time since she'd walked in, Izumi finally felt like she had control. Just a bit more of a push and she wouldn't have to compromise at all. "If I truly am a bloodbender, and as skilled as you say, would it not make sense for me to simply kill you? I could fake a heart attack, a complication from your concussion, any number of natural-looking deaths that no one would think twice about." 

The woman's breathing only picked up more speed. Izumi kept her hands firmly at her sides. It was a monstrous bluff, but being the granddaughter of a man who nearly exterminated an entire nation did tend to make people take her threats seriously. 

The combustionbender lowered her head. "If milady is willing to murder a Fire Nation citizen, who has had no trial, in order to keep a secret, then no, I don't suppose there is anything I could do about that." She raised her head just enough to make eye contact. "The Avatar would know, though. And she would not rest until she revealed the truth. I believe your highness should consider whether or not you would be willing to murder Avatar Korra along with me." 

Izumi clenched her jaw. She had lost; she could no longer deny that. Whoever had trained this woman, they had stopped at nothing to make sure she could read others as clearly as if their thoughts were being broadcast to her. But Izumi had gleaned one thing from this conversation, at least. This woman, however many times she might label herself as a weapon, did not completely think of herself that way. Weapons did not care if they died. Deep inside, this woman knew she was human. 

Izumi straightened and cleared her throat. "Your release will be granted on two conditions. First, you will perform menial labor here at the palace until I decide you have been sufficiently punished for your crimes in Sunport. Second, you will face Korra and offer only your most sincere apologies to her." 

"Apologies?" For some strange reason, this seemed to strike Fuse as even more outlandish than the idea that Izumi had been born a bloodbender. "Why would I do that? It was the heat of battle." 

"If you're human enough to try and blackmail me, then you're human enough to take responsibility for your mistakes." Izumi smiled. "I will send the guards down shortly to make sure you are properly chained and prevented from combustionbending before your release." 

"Fine," Fuse snapped. Izumi at last turned and walked away. She never thought she'd hear so much relief in a person's voice at the suggestion of chains.


	18. Properly Muzzled

Fuse was pleasantly surprised at the courtesy of the Firelord's guards. She'd been guarded many times in her life, and she knew the type. Most had very little rank themselves and loved to show off the sliver of authority they had by pushing their charges around. And continuously mocking them. The two guards at either side of her now simply walked along in silence, following where she went, directing her when she wasn't sure where a certain room was, and generally being nice people except for the looming threat that they would firebend in her face if she tried anything.

As far as being a captive went, she supposed, it was as pleasant as she could expect.

 _The Avatar seems to want my freedom,_ she thought. _As does that earthbender, Nuktuk-Bolin. If I can get them arguing on my behalf, I should be able to get out of here soon._

It wasn't that she didn't trust the Firelord's promise that she would be released once she had paid her dues for the damages at Sunport. It was more that she had no idea if the Firelord would call her debt erased after a few weeks or a few years. She could handle being a captive, but the thought of living here for years under Firelord Izumi's thumb, knowing any small infraction could land in back in a cage for the rest of her life? That was another matter.

And still, as uneasy as that thought was, there was another even more unsettling one nagging in the back of her mind.

Where _will_ I go when I'm free?

Back to her master and his facility? She had failed her contract with Jarven, and failed again in her effort to return. Master didn't tolerate failure. Faulty weapons were a liability.

She swallowed hard. Another concern for another time. For now she at least needed to fulfill the first part of her obligation. Her apology. After turning more corners and wandering down more hallways than she cared to, she finally spotted Avatar Korra out in the palace gardens. She thought Korra was alone at first until she got closer and saw Bolin leaning against a fountain. Odd, she didn't see Pabu or Shouga anywhere.

 _Probably off harassing the guards or some poor servant, knowing Shouga._ But Fuse was surprised she'd let Pabu tag along. Very strange indeed. Bolin and his brother was there too...what was his name? Mako, that was it.

"Wait, I'm confused," Mako was saying. "The combustionbender is crushing your windpipe, you pass out, and you're still alive how?"

Korra laughed way too loudly. "Oh, come on, Mako. I'm the Avatar. No one's going to kill me like that."

"Yeah, Mako!" Bolin chimed in. "Korra obviously did her Avatar thing and saved herself. Somehow." He looked at her confused. "You did the Avatar thing, right?"

"Y-yes," Korra said with a slow nod. "That's exactly what I did. The Avatar thing."

Fuse cleared her throat.

"I beg your pardon, Avatar Korra, but I am here to apologize to you."

Surprise registered on Korra's face. "Oh, no," she said. "You don't have to-"

"No," said Fuse. "No, trust me. I really do." She drew a breath. This was her first apology, and she wanted to get it right. "I'm sorry for..." She tried to think of a polite way to phrase what she had done, but none came to mind. "...nearly crushing your windpipe," she finally finished. An awkward silence hung in the air for several moments. And Fuse was not the type to find things awkward. Was her apology not enough? Perhaps not. This was not her only offense against Korra and her friends, after all. She spoke again. "Also, I am sorry for holding a dagger to your friend's throat. I imagine that bothered him. And you."

She stood unmoving for another minute, still with no one responding to her at all. The awkwardness was made significantly worse when a frog-dove landed on the nearest fountain, filling the silent air with its loud _cooo-rrribit._

Mako narrowed his eyes. "So, what? That's it? You're sorry. And we're supposed to just pretend like nothing happened?"

Fuse didn't answer. In truth, she had no idea what the three of them were supposed to do. She wasn't even sure why she was having this conversation in the first place.

"I feel like I need to apologize, too," Korra said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Why?" Fuse asked.

"Yeah, I'm with Combustion Girl on this one," said Mako. "What are you talking about, Korra?"

Korra turned red. "I attacked in a way that I knew would really scare you. I know you only lashed out at me because you were panicked." She glanced at Bolin, and Fuse got the distinct feeling that even though the Avatar was spot on in her assessment, she had not come to that conclusion on her own.

"You shouldn't be apologizing for that. You exploited a weakness of mine to great success. But I violated the terms of our match. It was supposed to be for practice, and I treated it like a life-and-death battle."

"Yeah, well, in a life-and-death battle, maybe terrorizing you would have made sense," said Korra. "But as it is, I still say I was wrong, and you need to accept my apology." She crossed her arms. "Right now or I am telling Izumi on you."

Fuse straightened. Was she serious? Korra's tone was so ridiculous; how was she supposed to take it? Then, at that moment, Bolin burst out laughing.

"That's our Korra," he said, patting her on the back. "Always one with words." He straightened, then stretched, arching his arms far over his head. "Man, I'm starved."

Mako gave him an incredulous look. "Again?"

"What can I say? All this aimless wandering and waiting for reinforcements makes me hungry." He looked at Korra hopefully. "Whatdoya say we hit the town? Mako and I found this great noodle shop."

"Actually, I've got to get back to... my meetings," said Korra hastily, "But I'll meet up with you guys later for dinner."

"Okay." He turned to Fuse. "How about you? You like noodles?"

She did, admittedly. And after the nightmare of a her past few days in the dungeon, her stomach was aching for a good meal. But she was a captive. And judging from the looks on Mako and the two guards' faces, what she liked was irrelevant.

"Another time, maybe."

She bid them farewell and turned to go, chains clinking, the two guards close on her heels. Where she was going exactly, Fuse wasn't sure. Firelord Izumi had ordered her to perform menial labor around the palace as the second part of their bargain. She did not, however, specify exactly what sort of work Fuse should do. This proved rather frustrating. What exactly did a weapon do when not being a weapon?

Fuse had no idea. She wasn't without other skills. Master had given all his weapons a diverse education in topics like history, etiquette, cooking, herb-lore, hunting, beast care, and riding techniques. But he had only done this to ensure she could perform missions without being a burden to her handler. And most handlers weren't paying for her to dazzle them with her cooking or her knowledge of healing plants.

She still tried, of course, heading for the kitchens first. Bolin had certainly seemed impressed enough with her cooking. Unfortunately, after two hours spent convincing the head chef she wasn't going to poison anything, she was still refused work on the grounds that her taste was "too bland and simple" for palace life.

Things went about as badly with the head gardener and the lead floor servant. Only in these instances, her presence was "too intimidating" for other members of staff.

By late afternoon, she was not only crestfallen but panicked as well. Firelord Izumi had permitted her freedom (so to speak) only if she worked. But what if no one would let her? Did that break the terms of their agreement? Would the Firelord throw her back in the dungeon?

She had one last hope. The royal stables. Fuse trudged her way there, chains clinking. The stablemaster was a tough old codger by the name of Griff. He looked her up and down then up again, as Fuse explained the nature of her visit while trying her very hardest not to sound desperate.

"So the palace staff sent you here, did they?" His eyes lingered on her shackles and forehead restraint, then on the two guards (who, judging from their expressions, were not pleased by the various smells one tended to experience at a stable). Then he snorted. "Bunch of lilly-livers that lot. Even an old fool like me knows an animal can't do much harm once it's been properly muzzled."

Fuse ignored the jab. "So... I can stay?"

"Sure. Provided you do good work. I don't tolerate slackers. These are some dangerous critters we're dealing with, and they'll claw you up good if you drop your guard."

"I understand."

"Good. Oh, and one more thing. If I hear you've been mistreating a beast, I'll put you down myself."

A bit harsh, perhaps. But Fuse appreciated the sentiment. "I would never, but thank you for the warning. When can I start?"

"You can start now." He gestured over his shoulder. The stables were composed of three enormous barns, each with access to their own fenced outdoor paddock. Griff motioned to the barn furthest to the right. "That's the guest barn. Apparently the Avatar's wind buffalo is quite the sorry mess. Tend to it. Then after that you can see to the young eel hounds in barn two."

_A sky bison and hatchlings. He's giving me the docile ones to care for. Probably to test my skills._

"What's in the third barn?" Fuse asked. She normally wouldn't have been so nosy, except she noticed that unlike the other two buildings which were wooden, the third barn was constructed of reinforced platinum.

"That's my concern, not yours. Now go."

Fuse obeyed.

Later that evening, despite some irritated looks from the guards, Bolin and Mako met up with Korra in the palace dining room. Korra was in the middle of her second helping of meat-buns and veggies. She and Mako made small talk over the bloodbender gang situation... well, mostly Mako talked, actually. Korra just sorta ate and made "hmm" noises whenever Mako asked her about Firelord Izumi's plans.

Bolin tried his hardest to listen but kept finding himself glancing at the door. It was nearly sundown. Dinner would be over soon and Fuse sill hadn't shown up.

"I'm gonna go check on her. You said she was at the stables right?" Bolin asked Korra.

Korra nodded. She actually seemed relieved by the change in subject. "I saw her earlier when I went to check on Juicy. She... took really good care of her, actually. I don't think I've ever seen that bison so clean. And she even made an herbal remedy for Juicy's allergies."

"Great," said Bolin. "I'm sure Opal would appreciate..." he trailed as his throat tightened. When Mako broke up with Korra... and Asami, come to think of it, the three of them had still managed to stay friends. But Opal... he wasn't sure if Opal would ever forgive him, and that made him sick inside. If there was one thing he didn't like doing, it was hurting people. But he had still hurt Opal. And she had hurt him back in the worst way. Was still hurting him... even now, half a world away.

He looked down, busying himself by overturning a bowl of rolls then filling it with meat-buns from a serving tray. Korra and Mako didn't say anything. Probably because they didn't want to make him start crying, But also because it was awkward. At the end of the day, Opal was still their friend.

He raided the veggie tray, tucking carrots and celery neatly amid the meat buns. He may have messed things up royally with Opal, but that wouldn't stop him from trying to earn back her friendship... someday. Right now, however, there was another person who seemed like she needed a friend even more.

He wrapped the bowl in a napkin, forming a makeshift basket. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

Mako eyed him from across the table. "Why do you care about her so much?"

Man, he just _had_ to phrase it like that, didn't he?

"I don't 'care'. Not like that. I mean-" _Come on, Bolin, keep it together_. "Weren't you the one who told me I needed to get my mind off..." he couldn't bring himself to say Opal's name again, "...you know? Things?"

Mako made a face. "Yeah, sure. But fawning over some psychotic combustion girl isn't exactly what I had in mind."

Fawning. Okay, first of all, he totally was _not_ doing that. And second, since when did being abused and manipulated suddenly make you psychotic?

Bolin frowned. "She's not crazy."

Mako stared at him as if he was the crazy one. "She held a _knife_ to your throat."

"That was just so she could try and get away."

"And get back to blowing up Sunport."

Talking to Mako was impossible sometimes. Him and his stupid logic and his policey ways. It was maddening. Bolin threw up his arms. "Okay, I get it, she's not perfect. But neither are we, in case you've forgotten."

It was the truth. As kids they had lied, cheated, stolen and joined a gang to survive the streets of Republic City. And as adults, their track record wasn't much better. Yes, okay, they did help save the world. Many times. But Bolin had also helped a power-hungry madwoman hurt innocent people. And Mako had murdered Ming-hua. Not even the all-mighty Mako could logic that away, and his brother knew it.

"None of us are," said Korra softly when she saw the pained look on Mako's face.

Mako massaged between his eyes. "All I'm saying is you don't even know this girl. Where does she live? Where is her family? I mean, for crying out loud Bolin, we don't even know her real name."

"Well, mister smarty smart detective, if you can find out those things without actually _talking_ to her, then be my guest. In the meantime, I'll be at the stables."

Mako turned to Korra. "Korra, will you please talk some sense into him?"

"Actually, I'm siding with Bolin on this one."

"Really?" both Mako and Bolin said simultaneously.

Korra nodded. "Really."


	19. Nanami

Tomas had not gone by the name Tom-Tom in decades, and he vowed to keep it that way. It was difficult enough re-establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with in the Fire Nation. It would have been even more difficult if he'd kept that childish nickname. 

And now he was one step closer to making sure no one ever forgot his name again. He'd finally found the village where Zuko's weakness lay. Weeks after he'd gotten the intel that said weakness existed, of course. Jarven had never been so intelligent as to actually get the location of anything. Or anyone. But no matter. Tomas was here now. 

It was a little place on the outskirts of the United Republic... a town all of nonbenders. Ridiculous, really, when he thought about it. If he had been unfortunate to have been born so weak and helpless, the last thing he would have done was found a town full of other weak, helpless people. But all that proved was that these people had neither brains nor brawn. 

_And yet one of them took down Lord Zuko single-handedly._ That was the one thing he had to keep reminding himself, and the hardest part of Master Eli's story to swallow. Still, one of Zuko's former guards had sworn it to be true. Lord Zuko had visited this place and completely collapsed on this girl's approach. Who she was and how she acquired such a power, Tomas had no idea. But he wouldn't be caught off guard. 

The town's citizens enjoyed their privacy; he made that observation straight away. None of the houses were terribly close to each other. In fact, the house that was his target seemed even more isolated than the others. 

He motioned to his weapon. It wouldn't be a quiet attack if combustionbending had to be used, and he preferred not to be forced into that situation. But better to be prepared, at least. The weapon moved in the shadows, becoming one of them. If Tomas hadn't been looking, he would've missed the man himself. 

He leaned against the walls of the house, his breath signaling nothing but calm. There was only one lamp lit in the place, so the girl's location was more than obvious. Not that she could have known that. In the warm summer evening, the window was open, to boot. He decided to make his move.

He signaled for the weapon to wait just out of sight and then in a single fluid motion, he jumped inside. 

The girl was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a book in her lap. She looked up at him. She was in her late teens, perhaps early twenties, yet she gave him a child-like look of curiosity. It put him off guard. Where were the screams? The cries of, "help, help, a strange man just leapt into my room"? He readied himself into a fighting stance, and she narrowed her eyes at him. 

"I didn't invite you in," she said calmly. "Go away." 

"I'm afraid I'm the one giving orders," he said. "Nanami, is it? You're coming with me." 

She yawned. Actually had the gall to yawn at him. If Master Eli hadn't emphasized how important she was, Tomas might have struck a killing blow just for that. 

"I don't feel like it," she said. "Again, go away." 

"You don't seem to realize who you're dealing with, girl," Tomas said through gritted teeth. With that, he gave the signal for the weapon to enter. His bulky form flew through the window within seconds. His tattoo was hidden behind a headband for the moment, Tomas only wanting to reveal his true power if he had to. So instead of firing a blast, the weapon reached out towards a lovely scented candle the girl had burning on her mantle, no doubt planning to create a massive fireball and fire into the ground at her feet. 

Planning to. The flickering little flame did nothing. The weapon tried again, but still nothing. All the excitement of the chase began to flow out of Tomas, replaced by bewilderment and confusion. What was this, the Day of Black Sun? No, that wasn't happening for another 600 years? So either Tomas had traveled through time (in which case, six centuries of advancement in human housing were severely underwhelming) or this girl had some ability he had never seen or heard of before. 

_She blocks bending,_ he realized. She seemed to read the thought right on his face. 

"You look like you've figured it out. Amazing what powers the spirit portals released. I don't need a stance or anything to make it work, either. It just happens. An old friend called it 'voidbending.'"

Tomas spat the floor. "And would that 'old friend' be Lord Zuko, by any chance?" 

For the first time, she looked genuinely nervous and took a fighting stance. "I told you twice to get out. I'm not asking so nicely again." 

Tomas raised his fist. Even if firebending didn't work around her, he was still more than capable of taking out some pathetic little--

She punched him in the jaw. Tomas cried out in pain. He went to take a swing back at her, but she dodged it easily and brought a knee up into his gut. He fell to the ground. 

"Get out, or I'll call the whole town in here," she yelled. 

Tomas gritted his teeth. If she blocked all bending, his weapon was useless. At least from this range. But he could come back. She readied her fist again and he quickly got the message, scrambling out the window and signaling the weapon to follow. He couldn't reveal his full hand yet. He might only have one shot at this girl. He just had to remind himself, as he went face-down into the dirt and spat several pill bugs out his mouth, that this wasn't the end. 

_So that's how she took down Zuko,_ he thought as he and the weapon disappeared into the night, with the girl yelling, "and stay out!" far behind them. 

Tomas gritted his teeth and rubbed a mix of spit and dirt from his chin. _But that guard didn't say Zuko lost his bending around her. He was on a peaceful mission; wouldn't have been bending at all. The guard said he collapsed._

His body was starting to get tired now. The weapon had far more stamina. But the frustration of the puzzle kept his muscles moving. _Does her power work differently around him? Who loses the ability to move their body when they lose their bending?_

He tried to work the problem backwards. What kind of bending might aid someone in moving his body?

_Well, bloodbending, obviously. But that doesn't make any sen--_

"Tree," the weapon said calmly. 

"Wha--?" Tomas began to ask, right before running headlong into a thick trunk. He howled out in pain and collapsed on to the ground, holding his nose. 

"Don't just stand there," he hissed as blood trickled through his fingers. "Get me some medical supplies!" 

The weapon shrugged and did as instructed. "I did issue a warning."

\----

At twelve weeks old the eel-hound pups were nearly as tall as a sky-bison. All but one. The runt of the litter, pup number seven, was having trouble keeping up. And thanks to a scrap over food with six bigger, stronger siblings, he had an injured hind foot as well. Bullying wasn't uncommon in big litters. Had these pups been hatched wild or been raised back in the Earth Republic, the littlest probably would have been culled the moment his limp appeared. But fortunately for this little guy, Firelord Izumi was still in need of swift runner-beasts and had paid good coin to import the clutch -- all seven of them. Griff was no soft heart. But even he knew better than to throw away the Firelord's money. 

So it was, after Fuse finished dishing out fish-gruel to the six boisterous eel-hound siblings, she fetched the runt from the pen and tethered him to her workstation while she set bout grinding medicinal herbs for his leg and vitamin supplements for his food. Fuse didn't mind. In fact, she found she enjoyed listening to the runt's various gurgles and grunts as it sniffed about her feet or tugged at her pant legs. His baby hide was still remarkably soft, too. Fuse took a moment to memorize the velvety texture as she leaned into his side and gently lifted his lame hind leg to get a better look. He was by far the prettiest of the bunch--his scales a sleek jet black from snout to tail--strikingly different compared to his siblings' greens and browns. 

She ran her hands down the length of his leg, feeling for breaks. She found none. The pup's ankle was slightly swollen, though. He hesitated to put weight on it. And when a faint rustling nearby made him jerk suddenly in Fuse's grip, he yelped. 

_Probably just a sprain._ Those were simple enough to mend, provided the pup could keep still. Fuse went back to work, mentally combing through her herbology training as she mashed various roots and leaves into an unidentifiable green pulp.

_Anti-inflammatories and pain numbing for his leg, and a sleep aid in his food, to keep him calm. Yes. That will work._

The rustling sounded again, drawing Fuse's eye. She glanced a familiar flash of ginger-orange, then deep red as Shouga and Pabu darted into the barn from some unseen ferret-sized entrance. Several bigger beasts stirred at this new pair of intruders, and one particularly bold dragon-moose gave a throaty growl as the two ran past his stall.

This didn't please Shouga, who arched and hissed right back. She probably would have latched onto the dragon-moose's nose if Fuse didn't voice a reprimand of her own.

"Shouga, behave." Shouga bottlebrushed and was off again, this time straight up to the top of a stack of hay bales. The climb wasn't difficult for Shouga, sleek and agile as she was. But Fuse caught herself snickering at Pabu's clumsy attempts to follow her. 

"Fire ferrets are supposed to be good climbers. Clearly Bolin's spoiled you." She smiled. "But I admire your persistence, Pabu." Pabu gave a winded "chur" before flopping on his stomach beside his new friend. Shouga in turn leaned down and began grooming behind his ear. 

_It's going to be hard to separate them when the time comes._ She swallowed then shook the thought away. Best not to dwell on that now. 

She heard movement outside. Muttering from the guards. Probably a shift change. She didn't blame them. The stables were hot and smelly and full of buzzing flies and other far less savory things. Not exactly the ideal place to be wearing full body armor. 

"Hey," a familiar voice spoke. She looked over to find Bolin standing in the doorway. 

"Oh, it's you." 

_So that's what the guards were muttering about._

He took a step inside, unbothered by the barn smells. "I didn't see you get dinner so I figured I'd bring you some." He held out a wrapped basket. 

Was it that late already? She hadn't realized. She scooped a handful of her herb mix into a bowl of fish gruel and set it down for the pup before taking a seat herself. Bolin sat beside her, which surprised her since she probably smelled as filthy as she felt. Bolin didn't say anything on the matter. He was busy trying to untie the basket cover he had knotted, apparently a little too tight. 

Still resting atop the hay bale, Pabu pricked his ears at the sound of his owner's voice and gave a sleepy "churr?"

"Pabu?" Bolin looked around, surprised. When Fuse pointed out the napping pair, his mouth dropped a bit. "I thought I told you to stay back at the inn." 

"It seems Shouga had other plans. By the look of their bellies, I'd say the two of them found their way into the royal pantry on the way here." She grabbed the second bowl of herb paste and slathered it on the pup's ankle massaging it gently into the tissue. 

"Aw, man..." Bolin scratched behind his head. cheeks reddening. "I spent half the morning playing with them. They were sound asleep when I left..."

"No harm done. I'm impressed you managed to keep her entertained for as long as you did." 

She reached a hand behind her, grabbed a roll of clean bandages, and began wrapping the pup's ankle. The foreign constriction didn't please him one bit, however, and he kicked, unraveling part of Fuse's work. When that failed to deter her, he lifted his head out of his food dish and ran a gruel-covered nose down her neck. 

Fuse jerked away in surprise. Bolin smiled. "Squirmy little guy." 

"Yes." Fuse agreed, narrowly dodging a barrage of eel-hound kisses right on the lips. 

"Here," Bolin gestured for her to scoot over so he could sit in her place. "Why don't I finish that while you take a break?" 

A thoughtful gesture. Surly Griff wouldn't mind if Bolin helped for just a moment as long as she was there to supervise. And the pups needed human socialization anyway. She moved aside, offering Bolin instructions and the pup a distracting head rub. 

"Relax," he said. "I got this." Implying, of course, that she should use this chance to eat the meal he had brought. She untied the Bolin-loosened napkin carefully. Then, since she couldn't wash her hands, she used the cloth to pluck out a meat-bun from the basket. It was spiced and savory. She could see why the palace chef had called her taste plain. 

"So I guess Firelord Izumi is keeping you pretty busy, huh?" 

Fuse nodded. "Yes. It's part of my punishment. I don't mind the work. Master never tolerated laziness, so I'm used to long hours."

"By 'Master' you mean the one who--"

"Marked me. Yes." 

He looked uncomfortable. She wasn't sure why. Perhaps he was worried she wasn't eating enough of the meal he had brought? She helped herself to another bun. 

"How long ago was that?" 

"I was ten when Maser marked me. But I worked in the kitchens for three years before that."

His tension worsened. What was she doing wrong? Maybe it wasn't about the food. She tried to think. Korra had similar reactions in conversation several times. Mostly whenever the subject of her past or her training with Master came up. Was that what was bothering him? 

"You were seven..." Something shone in his eyes. A deep pain. He mumbled something too, something she had a hunch he hadn't meant to say aloud. "That's how old I was when Mako and I lost..." He swallowed. Recomposed himself. "How did you even end up there? With your master, I mean?" 

_Nothing this boy does makes any sense. Why keep asking me these things if my answers make him uncomfortable?_

"You ask a lot of questions," she said. 

A hint of color shone in his cheeks. "Yeah, I guess I kinda do, don't I? Tell you what, how about you take a turn? Go ahead, ask me anything."

"Okay." She thought a moment and found she had a dozen questions. What made him decide to bring her here? Why was he constantly going out of his way to defend her? Why did the mention of her master bother him so much? 

But she imagined asking one of them would only bother him further, which she didn't want. "Why do you have two names?" 

He raised an eyebrow. She quickly clarified. "Sometimes you are called Nuktuk and others, Bolin. Why is that?" 

"Oh, I'm not really Nuktuk. I mean, I am, but Nuktuk isn't really _me_."

That had to be one of the most confusing things she'd ever heard. Bolin saw her blank expression and quickly tried to explain."Nuktuk is a role I play. He's a mover character. He isn't the real me." 

A mover character. She had only vaguely heard of movers. Master had called them a waste of time. "I see," she said. 

"It's kinda the same for you, though, if you think about it." 

Fuse tried, but still didn't quite understand. "How so?"

"Well, you keep saying you're a weapon. That you belong to this 'Master' and that he marked you and called you Fuse. But that's just a role you were given. You have another name, too. A human name. The one your parents gave you." 

Her parents. Fuse's chest tightened. At the facility it was forbidden to speak of such things. Those that did were thrown in the cells... She had been one of them, once. 

She drew a slow breath. 

_No fear. I'm not at the facility. The rules are different here. I won't be locked up for answering._

She exhaled. And breathed again. 

"I don't remember that name. Master said I had no need for it anymore."

"What about your parents?"

"Killed by bandits, like the rest of my village." 

Bolin's face got sad, which, strangely, worsened Fuse's chest pain. 

She breathed again, trying to concentrate. _No pain..._

Only the pain didn't go away. Instead it got worse, spreading from her chest to her throat. 

Why was this happening? 

The pup gave a little whimper, drawn by the smell of the meat buns. The sound shattered the stillness and startling Fuse to her feet. 

"Here, I'll take him." She led him away. His tail drummed as he leaned against her, and this time when he tried to muzzle her she gave in and let him lick her hand. 

Behind her she heard Bolin stand and speak softly. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you." 

Fuse didn't answer. She wasn't sure what to say. Wasn't even sure why she was behaving this way. Bolin had asked honest questions and she had answered him truthfully There was no sense getting upset. And yet she was. Why? 

She opened the pen door and let the pup inside, staying to watch as he ambled over to the sleeping pile of his siblings. Maybe she was just tired. That must be it. 

"You don't need to apologize," she said at last when her breathing techniques finally worked. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's been a... trying day."

She closed the pen door and found the chains on her wrists felt much heavier then they had a moment ago. How long had she been standing there? 

"I should get back to the barracks. I need sleep." She sniffed and cringed. "And a bath." 

She turned to leave and found Bolin standing before her, Pabu draped across his shoulders, Shouga in his arms. 

"I'll walk with you."


	20. Master Jerkface

"I just don't get it at all," said Korra, wiping her brow with a damp towel after another round of sparring with Fuse. She'd been improving a lot in their matches over the past week. This time she had only let Fuse out of range once, and then quickly closed the gap before Fuse could aim an attack at her. 

"Firelord Izumi keeps training me, and she keeps making plans to take back Sunport, but somehow it doesn't seem like I'm ever part of those plans." 

"You sure she plans to use you at all?" Fuse asked. "Perhaps she only desired to teach you bloodbending for your own safety." 

"Yes, I'm sure!" Korra snapped, throwing the towel on the floor. Fuse made no reaction as usual, and of course, the towel could care less. Korra thought back to when Izumi had first agreed to teach her. Now that she thought about it, the only reason Izumi had given in was because the bloodbenders now thought Korra could match their powers and would inevitably attack her because of it. "I mean... she has to use me," Korra said. "I'm the Avatar." 

Fuse shrugged, wiping her own brow and slinging the tower over her shoulder. "The Firelord is like you in many ways. She feels a fierce determination to prove herself. So much so that she will refuse assistance even when she could use it." 

"I don't--" Korra began, then sighed and shook her head. "Okay, I do. But how does that help us now? I know I could help with the invasion. How do I clue Firelord Izumi in on that?" 

"Easy. You think of what would get you to listen to reason, and you do the same with the Firelord." 

\---- 

Her training with Korra concluded for the day, Fuse was off to the stables to tend to Juicy and the growing eel-hounds. The runt's limp was nearly gone and he was starting to catch up in size now, though he still preferred to eat separate from his greedy siblings. Well, actually, more like he preferred Fuse's company to theirs. It didn't matter what other chores Fuse was in the middle of doing or how hard the other stablehands tried to keep the pup in the paddock. Somehow or another, the pup always ended up at Fuse's heels like a living, breathing shadow. Fuse didn't mind, though. She liked his company, too. 

Bolin made a point to visit her every evening, usually with a fire-ferret on each shoulder and a new kind of tasty dinner for them to share. They'd sit and eat and offer morsels to Pabu and Shouga and the eel-hound pup, and Bolin would chat about various things. Fuse had to give Bolin credit, he had the most fascinating stories. She especially enjoyed hearing about his adventures with the Avatar, and Bolin, being Bolin, was all to happy to share them. It was the same that day. Fuse sat and listened attentively as Bolin chatted on about him and his brother Mako's "epically awesome escape from the Northern Air Temple." 

"So there we are, caught between a thousand-foot drop and a river of molten lava..." Bolin made an exaggerated arm movement, swinging the cold cut sandwich he held much too close to the equally attentive eel-hound pup. "All seemed lost until... I _willed_ myself to learn lavabending and saved the day." 

"Oh my," said Fuse, trying not to smirk as the pup plucked out the meat from Bolin's sandwich and ate it without Bolin noticing. 

Bolin grinned. "Yeah, it was pretty awesome." He took a bite of his sandwich and made a confused face. Fuse laughed. She couldn't help it. Bolin laughed too, which oddly only made her laugh harder. 

"It's nice talking with you, Bolin," said Fuse when she finally managed to recompose herself. "I love hearing your stories. You've been so many interesting places. Sometimes I wish I could travel like that." 

"Why can't you?" 

She raised an eyebrow, and then her wrist just enough to make the chain jingle. 

"I mean _after_ that," Bolin clarified. The Firelord isn't going to keep you locked up forever." 

"No, I suppose not." 

"So what's stopping you? You'll be a free woman. Why not see the world?" 

She wasn't sure. Actually, she was, but she had been trying not to think about it. "It's... complicated," she finally said, hoping that would be the end of the topic. She watched Bolin's face as he tried to understand her logic. A difficult task since she herself didn't quite understand it. 

"You're not planning on going back to..." he trailed. 

"My master?" She watched Bolin flinch in disgust. 

"Quit calling him your master." 

"What should I call him then?" 

"I don't know..." Bolin threw up his hands. "He was trying to think of something clever but apparently wasn't having much success. "Jerkface," he said at last. 

"Okay." Strange. Jerkface had an oddly satisfying ring to it. 

A pause. She still hadn't answered his question. Where would she go once her sentence was over? She had no home, no family, and a mark that ruined any chance she may have had for a so-called 'normal' life. Those that didn't fear her would see her as a threat and chase her off, maybe even try to hurt her. And that was only the civilians. If Mas--Jerk-face got wind that she was still alive, he would send other weapons to eliminate her. 

If she returned to the facility her life may be spared, if Master deemed she was salvageable. But she would need to be... recalibrated. Fuse didn't know exactly what that involved. But she did know Master Jerk-face didn't tolerate failure. A minor infraction like shooting a combustion beam at the bloodbender Crull's feet might land her in the cells for a week. But she had done far worse than that. She had failed her contract, Jarven, then failed in her effort to escape the Fire Palace after the Avatar captured her. And now... every moment spent not trying to escape, every fact she shared with the Firelord, every training session with Korra... Everything she did was a new failure. What did Master Jerkface have in store for her back at the facility? Nothing good. 

Where would she go when she was free? She belonged nowhere and had nothing. Was that the answer Bolin wanted? She almost asked him. But Bolin stood, so quickly it actually startled her. 

"Please tell me you're not going back. You can't!" He reached out and gripped her shoulders, making her tense. Bolin didn't seem to notice. He was leaning so close, Fuse could smell the odd sun lotion he wore. She felt strange. She wasn't in danger, but her heart was doing an odd flutter that made her suddenly very unsure of herself. 

"Promise me!" Bolin insisted. 

Fuse swallowed. She couldn't discuss this now. 

"Okay, I promise," she said. She felt awful afterwards. She had never had to lie to anyone before. Weapons had no need for deception. But she had needed it now to get away from this topic and gain back control of herself. Her answer must have been convincing enough. Bolin released her and sat back down, looking at his hands. The eel-hound pup came over and laid his head between them. Bolin rested his hand between the pup's ears and stroked him softly. 

"Sorry," he said after a pause. "I didn't mean to yell like that. It's just... you're my friend. And I don't want to see you get hurt again." 

_My friend?_

Something stirred in her. A warmth in her chest. Perhaps there was still hope for her. If Bolin was willing to befriend her, even knowing what she was... could she dare to hope for a normal life? 

She stared ahead, wrestling with her thoughts much like Shouga and Pabu were wrestling with each other in the hay. She could still feel the imprints Bolin's fingers made when he held her shoulders. She wasn't alarmed, exactly. Sometimes that happened when Korra used bloodbending. The muscles or joints she seized control of would ache for a few hours after. But this was different. Bolin hadn't hurt her and didn't even know bloodbending. So why? 

Too many questions. Too many confusing feelings. It was too much. She drew in a breath and exhaled over and over until her heartbeat finally calmed. 

_No fear. Breathe. No fear. Breathe. No fear. Breathe._

"Thank you, Bolin," she said at last when she was right again. 

"For what?" Bolin looked over, his face riddled with uncertainty. He was still upset with himself. She wanted to reassure him, but wasn't exactly sure how. She reached hesitantly and rested a hand on his, the way she often did to reassure Shouga or the pups. 

"For being my friend. It... means a lot to me." 

Her assurance worked. The tension dissolved from his face leaving only the kind, playful smile she had come to enjoy so much. 

Then the moment was shattered. 

Outside the air rattled with the sound of an explosion and a deep, bestial roar. It was coming from Barn One, the barn Fuse wasn't allowed to go into. 

Bolin raised an eyebrow. "Well, that... didn't sound good."


	21. Flaring Tempers

Zuko had returned to Ember Island. Izumi had gotten the word at breakfast that morning. Naturally, her first thought was that she was happy he was safe. It always made her nervous when he went wandering around the countryside without taking so much as a messenger hawk with him. Really, this was the modern era. Couldn't he telephone her once in a while?

For now, Izumi sighed and leaned back in her throne. It was ugly and uncomfortable and clearly demonstrated her grandfather's concern for scare tactics over common sense. In front of her, Korra finished the final round of bloodbending stances she'd been working through. She turned at looked at Izumi for approval.

"Your left foot was off in that last one," Izumi said. "Do the set again from the start." 

"Seriously?" Korra snapped. 

Izumi hardened her gaze. "Seriously."

The Avatar groaned but started over just the same. Izumi barely watched her. Knowing exactly where Zuko was only made Izumi want to march over to Ember Island and tell him that he had started this mess with teaching Korra, and he ought to be the one to finish it. Izumi clearly wasn't the mentoring type, anyway. If she was, why were her children so far away from her all the time? For the love of flames, even her own dragon detested her. She commanded well, she felt sure of that. Forming relationships, not so much.

"Are you even watching?" Izumi looked up from massaging her forehead to see that the Avatar had stopped moving through the stances. She straightened. 

"I'll thank you not to use that tone with me, Avatar." 

Korra gritted her teeth. "Look, I'm totally fine with repeating these exercises a ton of times if they're actually useful, but lately it feels like you haven't been teaching me anything new. If you think I'm ready--"

"You're not ready. You get in the middle of a group of bloodbenders like you are now, and they'll tear you apart. Run through the stances again."

Korra didn't. But she didn't snap out anymore defiant snark, either. She simply stood and looked Izumi in the eye. "Your majesty," she said. "I understand your concern for my safety. My other teachers have all done the same thing. But I'm not going to get up to your level or Zuko's level in the time we have. At some point, we have to decide that I've learned enough and we need to take action. Sunport is still--"

"I already have troops moving into the surrounding area to prepare to retake it," Izumi snapped. "And furthermore, my military decisions are none of your concern." 

Her harsh words did nothing to make the Avatar back down. If anything, they seemed to make a bad situation worse. "You don't plan to use me at all, do you?" Korra snapped. "You just plan to keep me in the palace for my own safety while your stupid army goes out and does the fighting."

"If you are angry at me because I value your safety, then I'm afraid I am unsympathetic," Izumi said. "You may be quite used to battles where you and a few of your friends rush in and defeat enemies much more numerous than yourselves, but I for one don't intend to test how long before your luck runs out. I will most certainly call you out if I have need of you, but I will not do so any earlier. Are we clear on that?"

Korra only grunted in reply. At first, Izumi thought she might have actually won the argument. Then she realized that her thinking had been far too optimistic. 

"Fuse was right," Korra muttered. "You're so obsessed with proving what a strong Firelord you are, you're afraid to accept any outside help."

"Excuse me?" Izumi stepped up to Korra, only a few inches from her face. She didn't have much height on her, but she adjusted her glasses and glared down to give Korra one last chance to back off. "If training sessions with that combustionbender are what's causing you to act so disrespectfully, I can easily remedy--"

"Why are you so hard on her, anyway? Can't you even understand how she feels? To have a power that everyone's terrified of?"

Izumi opened her mouth to make a retort, but no sound came. It was infuriating. She'd spent her entire life with very few people ever really being able to read her. In fact, there had only ever been two. Now this snappy young Avatar and some strange combustionbender suddenly showed up at the palace and she became an open book?

Her silence at least seemed to finally get Korra to step down. She turned red and looked at the floor. "I'm... sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said all that. Crap, my dad would kill me. And Tenzin. Tenzin would super-kill me." 

Izumi's face twitched. She was still rather irritated and no intention of letting any hint of a smile loose. "Well, far be it for me to want you to be 'super-killed', as you phrase it. But mind your tongue in my presence from now on, is that clear?"

"Perfectly," Korra said. She made a low bow and turned her back as she went through the stances again. The Avatar's words had not been entirely accurate, but they had contained enough grains of truth to make Izumi uncomfortable. The other thing that always bothered her around both Korra and Fuse, the part neither of them could ever see, was how much both girls reminded Izumi of her daughter. 

_I shut my children out._ It wasn't the first time she'd had the thought, though it hadn't crossed her mind in a long time. She never had made the best attempts to mend things with her daughter, and she wasn't sure it was possible to do so now. But perhaps she could at least start with mending things with the combustionbender and the Avatar. 

At that moment, Izumi was jostled out of her thoughts by a loud battering on the door. Korra whirled around and took an earthbending stance as if she expected to blast an attacker off his feet. Izumi held up a hand. 

"Calm down. I know that knock," she said. Then, she called out, "What's the matter, Griff?"

"It's Flare again, ma'am!" the man's voice called back, followed by a rough cough. "She's out of her pen and causing all sorts of ruckus, and I ain't got the stamina no more to chase after 'er!"

Izumi groaned inwardly. It was bad enough her father ran around the countryside like he was half his actual age and rogue bloodbenders had to go around causing chaos in her kingdom, _and_ she had to train an Avatar who was just as stubborn as she was. Now she had Flare to deal with. 

"I'll be right there," she assured Griff, hurrying up to unlock the doors. "Korra, the rest of our training will have to wait until tomorrow." 

"Hang on a second," said Korra, doing the opposite of what Izumi suggested and following along after her. "Who's Flare?"

Izumi sighed. "Flare is my dragon. And she's... temperamental."

Instead of striking the Avatar with caution, the words made her grin. "A dragon? I want to meet her!"

"No, you don't. Go back to your room," Izumi commanded. She immediately winced, realizing just how much of a nagging mother she sounded like. Korra was the Avatar. And an adult besides. "Or... follow me if you want. It's your choice. I simply bear no responsibility if your hair gets burnt off."

Korra did not seem at all deterred by the suggestion and followed Izumi out the door.

\----

The scene in front of Izumi made no sense whatsoever. Flare was out of the stable. Not the first time it had happened, but that wasn't the strange part. The strange part was how the dragon was not currently destroying everything in sight. Instead, she had her iron jaws locked on the combustionbender's left arm. Izumi's first thought was that Flare was about to turn Fuse's arm to a bloody pulp. Izumi spread her fingers, ready to call on her bloodbending to pull Flare's mouth open. But before she could do so, she realized that the dragon was not biting down with her full force. She had her teeth on the chain and manacle on Fuse's arm and wrist. 

And Fuse was saying something. Izumi stepped closer to hear, and was vaguely aware of the Avatar doing the same. "... going to help you," Fuse was saying. Calm, firm. The way a real mother should sound. "But right now, you need to stop this nonsense," the combustionbender went on. "No more bullying your caretakers. Are we clear?"

A grunt from the dragon, and it released her arm. Actually released it. Izumi heard Korra breathe a sigh of relief, but she herself was too shocked to do the same. 

Her command over Flare had always been a ruse. Flare was simply unable to tell others how Izumi got her under control. Fear. Flare detested even a bit of bloodbending used on her and she would quickly change her attitude if threatened with it. Fear kept the dragon from lashing out when Izumi got near. Not respect, and certainly not love. 

Izumi took only the smallest step forward, not wanting to break the spell of trust that had started to form here. 

"Amazing," she whispered. Then, just a touch louder so that Fuse could hear, she called out, "When you are finished here, Fuse, the guards will show you to the sun room. I'll have some tea prepared." 

The dragon tensed at her voice and Izumi quickly took several steps back, putting her gaze to the floor to show Flare she had no intention of starting a confrontation. The combustionbender would notice the action, she had no doubt. But that was something that could be explained at a later time.

\----

There was knock at the door. Not too loud, not too soft, almost polite. Izumi could recognize Fuse's knock even without the faint jingle of chains that followed it. 

"Come in."

Fuse opened the door and stepped inside. She had bathed since their last encounter, somehow managing to scrub away virtually all traces of the stables from her person. She was meticulously groomed too, as was befit for an audience with the Firelord. 

"Milady wanted to see me?" 

"Yes," said Izumi, gesturing to the small set table by the southern window. "Will you sit?" 

A redundant question. Fuse was too polite to refuse her invitation. She sat and waited for Izumi to do the same before unfolding her napkin and smoothing it on her lap. It was like watching the headmistress of Royal Fire Academy during etiquette classes. Not a single gesture or movement out of place. Not exactly the ideal mood for honest conversation. 

"Please," she said, trying to break the ice. "Help yourself." 

Fuse didn't even blink. "It is customary for Milady to serve herself first," said Fuse. It sounded like something Izumi had read out of a textbook once. 

"Your etiquette is excellent. My old headmistress at Royal Fire Academy would have loved parading you in front of the class as an example." 

Fuse dipped her head slightly, right on cue. "That is very kind of you to say, milady."

"Yes, well, you want to know a little secret?" Izumi lifted the teapot and, with a silent thumb-nose to her old headmistress, deliberately filled Fuse's cup before her own. "I always hated those classes." 

Fuse gave the barest hint of a smile and relaxed her shoulders a hair. Izumi watched her lift her tea and inhale deeply. She then closed her eyes and nodded appreciatively before taking a sip. 

Izumi cupped the mug in her hands, letting its heat warm her fingers. She sometimes marveled at how firebenders could reheat tea with their hands. Did they savor the heat like she did, or did they think nothing of it, since it was so easy for them to recreate? 

"Your great uncle was quite the tea aficionado, wasn't he?"

Izumi sat up with surprise. "You know about him?" Her father had never ceased to speak about Great Uncle Iroh, but she didn't realize that anyone outside her immediate family knew the man quite as much. The siege of Ba Sing Se wasn't exactly something that the Fire Nation tried to bring to the forefront of its history. 

"Everyone knows the Jasmine Dragon," Fuse said with a shrug. "My master is quite fond of the brand. I should know. I've lugged enough crates of tea around for the man." 

Izumi tried to bring herself to smile, but it wouldn't come. "Does your master put you in chains as well?"

"Not at all, milady. He knows that a... that a weapon attacking him is unthinkable." 

She hesitated at the word "weapon", Izumi noted. Because the word hurt? Or because she had started to think of herself has something more than that? Whatever it was, Izumi couldn't look past the fact that even the man who had tortured and trained this girl didn't chain her. What did that make Izumi, exactly? 

_I don't kidnap children,_ she scolded herself. _And trusting that you've brainwashed someone so well they would never turn on you is not the same thing as trusting the person themselves._

Still, she looked at the chains hanging from Fuse's wrists, and her chest tightened. If she just had a good reason to go back on her agreement... 

"I suppose your restraints make your daily duties in the stables a bit difficult," she said, probably louder than she needed to. Especially when she considered that the hallway outside was empty. 

Fuse shrugged. "Not particularly. Most of what I'm doing during the day is mucking stalls. The chains do not impede that."

Izumi sighed. She considered the idea that Fuse entirely got her implications and wanted her to state her mind more clearly. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. "I'm simply saying," she went on, "that it might seem a bit soft for me to remove your restraints without reason. Especially when you haven't been here long enough to really prove yourself trustworthy. But, as I've clearly asked you to work, I cannot at the same time, restrict you in such a way that keeps you from working." 

"Ah. I see, then." Fuse nodded, and Izumi still couldn't tell if she had been oblivious or enjoying acting the part. "Well, Griff has stated that he would like for me to help with training the young eel-hounds, and handling them could be rather tricky in my current conditions." 

"Obviously a serious issue," Izumi said, nodding. "I will tell the guards that when you are in the stables, you are to be unrestrained." She thought for a moment. "Mealtimes as well. We are a civilized society, and many people consider chain clinking at the table to be quite disruptive."

"Do they now? It is kind of milady to educate me in such high society matters." She finished her mug. "Is that all you wanted to discuss, milady?" 

Izumi hesitated. There was no sense in delaying it any further, she supposed. She refilled Fuse's cup. 

"No, actually, there is one other matter..." her voice trailed. Part of her hoped Fuse would finish her sentence. That she wouldn't make Izumi admit the issue outright. But judging from the earlier conversation she knew that wasn't going to be the case. 

Izumi tried to speak but the words stalled in her throat. Why was this so hard? 

But she already knew why. 

_A Firelord who can't control her own dragon. How weak I must look._

Fuse raised her eyebrows, as if she had heard the thought. She set down her teacup and looked Izumi square in the eye.

"You're not weak, milady. Dragons are powerful, dangerous animals. Blue dragons are especially difficult to handle. Only a handful of past Firelords managed to tame them, and they had a distinct advantage. Being the world's original firebenders, those dragons instinctively saw them as their own kind. Because of your circumstances, there was no level ground with Flare. You had to build up her trust from nothing. That kind of bond takes years of constant work... not an easy task when one is also being groomed to rule a nation. 

"It's still no excuse for how I treated her." 

"I agree. Your current handling method is..." She paused a long time, no doubt having difficulty thinking of a polite word. "...unacceptable," she finally finished. And though Fuse did well keeping her tone steady as always, Izumi could see a distinct flicker of rage in her eyes. 

"Right." Another long pause. Izumi was doing it again. Waiting for Fuse to simply finish her thought for her and suggest aloud what she was having so much trouble asking herself. Another sure sign the combustion-bender was starting to reclaim her humanity--namely her human pride. 

"Perhaps, since you seem to have such an affinity with her... you could... enlighten me on some better handling methods." 

Fuse smiled. A real smile, this time. "I'd be glad to. We can start tomorrow if you wish." 

Izumi nodded. "Then please meet me in the stables as soon as you're finished your training with Korra." She wiped her mouth, rose from the table and bowed. "I should get back to my duties, but thank you for the tea, milady. We should do this again." 

Izumi smile and stood up, only to have her quiet interrupted by the door bursting open behind her. A guard rushed in and bowed low. "Your highness. Forgive my interruption, but we've had reports of more towns being hit by bloodbenders. The local authorities are powerless." 

Izumi's face hardened. Gone was the woman who sat drinking tea with a friend. She was the leader now, the one who made the tough decisions. 

"I want to set up a phone call with the towns' police chiefs as soon as possible," she demanded, starting to walk with the guard towards the door. "Is there any word on my son's arrival?"

"Hmm?" Fuse said behind her, almost too quiet to hear. The tone was accusatory, only mild curiosity. Izumi had told only a select group about Iroh's impending visit. But that was where her mother's instinct had taken over. The fewer people who knew that Iroh and his family were on their way, the less chance of an attack.

The guard took no notice of Fuse or her and Izumi's unspoken exchange. "We know that General Iroh left early yesterday morning, your highness. No word on yet on his arrival." 

"It's not unreasonable," said Izumi. "I wouldn't expect him for another day or two. What about my father? Did he accept my invitation to come stay at the palace until the crisis at Sunport is resolved?"

The guard looked very uncomfortable at this question. "I'm afraid Lord Zuko's exact words were, erm, 'if you think you're getting this old man back on that dragon after galavanting around for eight weeks straight, you've got another thing coming, young lady.'" He made several long bows. "My apologies, your highness." 

_Blast it, Dad! Be reasonable for once in your life and get back here!_ "I see," Izumi said aloud. And she did everything she could to make her voice sound neutral.


	22. The Price of Pride

Sleep did not come easily to Korra that night. Or at all, really. She tried. Who wouldn't try to sleep when they had to deal with resisting bloodbending or avoiding explosions the next day? But every little noise jolted her thoughts away from rest and back to just how irritated she was. How dare Firelord Izumi treat her like some kid. She was the Avatar, wasn't she? She should've been front and center planning how to counter the bloodbenders, not sitting in Izumi's back pocket just in case the almighty Firelord decided to use her.

 _"So?"_ she could imagine Asami saying. _"You're the Avatar. If you don't like how things are, do something to change them."_

Korra pulled back the covers and sat up in bed. Imaginary Asami was right. She'd had it. She was sick and tired of being pushed around, never getting answers. Even Mako thought that Izumi was hiding something, though he'd yet to explain what. And when no one gave Korra answers, she went after them herself. No matter who it was she had to ask. 

_I just need to know that I can trust the royal family,_ she told herself. _Maybe if I find out that Zuko really did everything he could to stop Zaheer, I'll feel better about Izumi._

The moon was still high in the night sky outside Korra's window. She had no clue what time it was. But it wasn't like the spirit world had posted visiting hours. She crossed her legs, brought her fists together, and began her meditation. Maybe it wouldn't answer all her questions, but knowing at least that small bit had to help. 

She knew she was improving her meditation skills when she actually opened her eyes and found herself exactly where she'd meant to land. It was a large tree, with violet and indigo and leaves, swaying beneath a mint-colored sky. Zaheer had said he spent most of his time here, and this evening was no exception. 

He was leaning against the tree's royal blue bark, eyes closed. One opened when Korra approached him, but he said nothing. At first Korra just stood opposite him, maybe fix or six feet away, figuring he had to acknowledge her eventually. He didn't. 

"Zaheer!" she said firmly. "I need to talk to you." 

He opened both eyes this time and looked positively annoyed. Not unlike Izumi in that respect. "I get few precious moments of peace in the physical world," he said. "This place in my sanctuary. You come barging in here, disrupting that peace, and you expect I'm going to answer you?"

Korra grimaced. There she went as always, approaching the problem with brute force. It wasn't like she had anything to threaten Zaheer with if he didn't help her. He'd lost everything already. 

"I'm... sorry for disrupting you," she forced herself to say. He smiled and straightened a bit. "But I wanted to talk. I want you to tell me about the time you broke out of prison. How did you do it? And break all of your old friends out too? I want to hear about that battle." 

"No, you don't," Zaheer said, leaning back against his tree again. "You want a very specific piece of information about that battle. You don't want to hear how my allies and I were treated for thirteen in prison. You don't want to hear about my studies and countless futile plans to escape before I was gifted with airbending. And you certainly don't want to hear how Ming-hua almost died of dehydration or P'li of hypothermia..."

Korra twitched. She did everything she could to keep a straight face. Unfortunately, she wasn't Aang. How many times was that fact going to haunt her? Zaheer smiled. 

"Ah, so it's something about P'li's breakout, then? Interesting. Well, I have nothing to tell you right now, Avatar. But come and try again sometime. I think I might enjoy your company after all." And with that, he vanished. 

\----

Fuse was already waiting inside Flare's stable when Izumi arrived. She wasn't surprised. Griff was a tough old bird but even he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to let Flare terrorize someone else for a change even if it meant giving a former criminal free run of his stables. 

Fuse greeted her with a small bow as she entered but Flare tensed at her approach. 

"Easy," crooned Fuse. She drew away Flare's gaze running her hands along the dragon's face as easily as one might embrace a friend. Jaws that could crush bone and breathe fire instead opened just enough to make a soft grumbling noise. Fuse shifted one hand to the top of Flare's snout. Izumi watched her dragon's eyes widen and then, gradually, go glossy.

Fuse gestured for Izumi to come closer. "It's okay. I have her." 

Izumi approached again. This time Flare didn't tense or even move. 

"How--" she started to question but stopped when she saw for herself. Flare had trusted the combustion bender enough to let her near her face and Fuse had, in turn, taken full advantage of one of dragonkind's more interesting weak spots. 

"There are points inside the nose that trigger the release of chi when proper pressure is applied. It helps calm her," Fuse explained, to busy watching Flare for signs of distress to notice Izumi's change of expression. She realized her mistake quickly though, when Izumi didn't respond. "...but you already know this..."

"Yes. Though it's been so long I'd almost forgotten." Izumi admitted. She sighed a bit wistfully. "Kalos was the beast enthusiast. He told me the nasal point is an old dragon tamers' secret." 

Fuse nodded. "Your husband must have been very wise."

"He was." A thought struck her. "Where did you pick up the technique, Fuse?" 

The combustionbender was quiet for a moment. "Strange. I don't know. Maybe from my life before..." She stared off as if trying to recall something. Then her eyes grew wide and she winced. 

"Are you all right?" 

"Yes... fine. It's nothing. Let's continue."

It wasn't nothing, that was obvious. Izumi had hidden enough of her own pain from her children over the years to know the signs. Part of her was even tempted to press the matter. True, Izumi may not have been a shining example when it came to opening up to people, but at least she had Katara and Kalos to talk too when she needed over the years. Who did Fuse have? 

But Izumi lost her chance. Fuse chose that moment to tug gently on Flare's nose and guide the dragon's head back around so that her scaly cheek was at eye level with Izumi. 

_This is the closest I've been to Flare without using my bloodbending._ The realization sank like lead in her stomach. 

She raised a hand to touch her dragon's scales, but stopped immediately when Flare flinched. "You trusted me to take care of you, and instead all I did was hurt you. I'm no better than my great-grandfather." Tears stung her eyes but she refused to her herself cry.

"You made a mistake," said Fuse softly. "That doesn't make you the same as him." 

Izumi jerked up, feeling a single defiant tear escape and roll down her cheek. _Don't tell me. Did I actually say that out loud?_ Shame washed through her. She hadn't felt this fragile inside since the day Kalos died and she hated it. 

Fuse tightened her hold on Flare's nose. "Again," she said in an all-too-familiar tone. "It's time you start taking responsibility for your mistakes."

Wise words, thought Izumi with a hint of a smile. Perhaps it was time to start taking her own advice. She set her palm on Flare's cheek. Her scales were smooth and oddly warm to the touch. Gold, glazed, dragon eyes looked back at her. 

"I'm sorry, Flare," she said. Tears bit at her eyes again and this time she let them fall. "For everything." 

\----

A leaf fell on Tomas' face and he brushed it away. Not that he was watching anything interesting right now. From his perch, he could see right into the police building. An officer at the front desk leaned forward, eyes wrought with concern while the sniveling girl in front of him dabbed her nose with a handkerchief. 

"Slow down, ma'am," the officer said. "And then what happened?"

"Then he tried to grab me, officer. He was an old man, out of shape, so I fended him off easily enough, but..." The girl look worriedly from side to side, then leaned closer to the officer as if whispering some grand secret. "But I think he's got some tougher friends. I'm scared to go home at night." 

Tomas groaned. Watching this ridiculous scene was agonizing. And it wasn't the first he'd seen today, either. The voidbender girl seemed to know she was being stalked and made it a point of going to areas with the biggest crowds. All day. For two nights in a row, she'd spent the evening at a friend's house. This police report was simply another one of her annoyances. As if the local police could do anything against a weapon, anyway. 

Tomas grimaced. A tree branch had been poking him in the neck for almost an hour now, and his leg was asleep. He wished he could just tear this town apart and not have anyone notice. But, no. Patience. He had to be patient. 

"...must have been terrifying for you," the officer said, licking up every word of her story like a trained dog. She sniffled a bit and dried some non-existent tears. 

"Oh, it was! It was simply terrible. And I can't imagine why they would even be after a poor nonbender like me?"

"Some people are just sick in the head," the officer said, writing down her last few words with extra enthusiasm. Not to worry, ma'am. We've taken note of your report, and I'll make sure our town patrol keeps an extra close watch on your neighborhood tonight."

"Oh, thank you so much!" she said. The two flirted with each other for at least another ten minutes before the girl finally left. Got escorted back to her home and everything. But no matter. The officer had to leave at some point, and when he did, Tomas was ready to make his move. He slipped out of the tree, though his half-asleep muscles weren't quite up to the task, and it more came out as a fall. 

"I'm going to murder that girl when I get my hands on her," he muttered as he made his way down the tree and back into the forest. They'd found an off-road path that led almost directly to the girl's home. No doubt she knew about it, but with the weapon on Tomas's side, neither was there much she could do about it. She wasn't importing the walls of Ba Sing Se in here anytime soon. 

"I don't think that would be very useful," Tomas heard the weapon say. Were these things mind-readers too? Just what sorts of training did they give them?

"H-how... what wouldn't be very useful?"

"Murdering the target. Her bending would also cease, which would upset your plans." 

Tomas went crimson. "I know that!" he hissed, and stomped forward. His leg went ankle-deep into a puddle. He kicked the puddle, but it only resulted in getting his clothes muddy, too. 

They waited in the brush until nightfall. The town seemed to have more than its fair share of biting insects, though of course, the weapon made no complaint. Finally, Tomas saw the girl headed back to her house. Alone. 

He had planned out the weapon's exact range, and he ordered it into the perfect position. Hidden, but no less capable of a lethal blow. 

He went and knocked on the door first. He didn't expect her to answer, of course, but with all the people she'd had around her, it needed to look like a friendly visit. To his complete shock, she actually answered it. With a roll of her eyes, she tossed her black bangs to the side like they were way more of a concern than Tomas could ever be. 

"I'm getting really sick of kicking you out of my house. I know you've been following me today. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't start screaming bloody murder and get every officer and neighbor in a ten mile radius over here."

Tomas smiled. "Because you don't want them all dead, that's why."

He reached into his pocket. It was the wrong pocket, which made him look really moronic when he had to feel around in the opposite pocket for what he was looking for. It had taken him a few days to get the photograph developed, but there it was. Both Tom-Tom and the weapon stood with a copy of the town newspaper from a few days before. The weapon's tattoo was clearly visible. The annoying smile on the girl's face melted away.

"You know your benders well enough, I assume?" Tomas said. 

She nodded. "A combustionbender," she said quietly. 

"Able to stand well out of your range and still do serious damage to your friends and home before you got close," Tomas advised. "Now, are you going to invite me in or not? This situation is going to start looking suspicious soon, and I do get a bit irritable when that sort of thing occurs."

She gritted her teeth, but showed him in just the same. Tomas even saw a patrol officer walking up the street as he went into the house. He smiled and waved. The officer paused and looked a moment, but seeing the girl inviting him in, gave a polite wave in return. Now that was how this sort of thing was supposed to work. 

Once inside, the girl looked questioningly between Tomas and a set of wooden chairs and a table in the center of the room. He nodded his approval at a chair beside the window, the one that would still give the weapon a good clear shot at her head. She sat down without a word. Tomas preferred to stand.

"I'll explain this in small, simple words so that even a 'poor nonbender' like yourself can grasp it," he said, leaning forward on the table. The wood gave a satisfying groan beneath his weight. "I've got an important affair coming up, and there's someone who's bending would be... problematic if they were to attend. You come with us without a struggle, I ensure my affair goes smoothly, and you're returned here unharmed. Simple, yes?"

He could see her quivering with anger, eyes darting around the room for some way to escape this. It filled him with a warm, immense satisfaction when she came up empty.

"And everyone else in town?" she said, nails digging into her knees. "They're safe too?"

"Of course," Tomas said. As if killing a bunch of nonbenders would be worth the effort anyway. He reached for his belt, where he unhooked a coiled rope and a thick strip of white cloth. He placed both on the table in front of her. "The gag first, then bind your ankles," he instructed. "My weapon will then be in to inspect your work and bind your wrists." 

She almost slapped him. He saw her arm twitch. Then he watched her hands move, slowly, obediently, to pick up the cloth. She gagged herself quite nicely, biting down on the cloth and making the knot behind her head good and tight. This was power, Tomas thought to himself. This was control. He could get himself drunk on it. And soon, very soon, he would be able to savor a taste far sweeter -- Zuko begging at his feet for mercy.


	23. More Than Friends?

Bolin came to meet Fuse at the stables like usual. But unlike usual she wasn't with Juicy or the eel-hounds. She was hunched over a workbench outside the Fire Palace's huge metal barn, and resting in the paddock alongside her... Bolin leaned back on his heels, craning his neck upward until he lost his balance and fell backwards. 

"Wow... that's a big dragon."

Fuse glanced up from her work polishing one of the fire palaces' saddles to a glossy shine. She gave him little smile. 

"Yes, she is. Her name is Flare." She reached over and patted the dragon's forelimb, prompting the animal to lean down and nose at her. "Want to pet her?"

Pet her? Was Fuse serious? Who wouldn't want to pet a dragon? "Are you kidding... I'd love to--" Bolin began but froze when the aforementioned dragon snorted a small puff of fire at him. "Or not. That works, too."

Fuse shook her head lightly. Grabbing ahold of Flare's muzzle she stroked the dragon's nose until Flare's eyes drooped. Then she beckoned Bolin over again. "It's okay, really. Just think of her as a big, scaly Pabu."

_Right. No problem. I can do this._

He swallowed then reached out a tentative hand. "Nice, big, scaly, fire-breathing Pabu." 

He rested his palm gently on the dragon's cheek and after Flare didn't turn to eat him, Bolin felt an old childhood thrill. He was petting a dragon. A _dragon!_ One of the biggest most powerful animals on the planet!

If only Mako was here to see this. Huh, come to think of it where was Mako anyway? Off doing more boring research most likely. Typical Mako. What was he even looking for anyway? 

Only one way to find out. He's have to pay his big brother a visit in the library. Later of course. After he was finished hanging out with Fuse. And Flare.

Flare made a throaty noise and tilted her head, indicating for Bolin to scratch behind her ear. 

"Huh, what do you know. She is just like a big, scaly Pabu." 

"I told you." Fuse said knowingly. "Dragons are no different then any other animal. Respect them and they will respect you in turn."

Bolin smiled. "You know when I was a kid I always dreamed of having a pet dragon. Being able to fly wherever I wanted. And with a dragon at my side I could help people and never have to worry about being bullied by anyone, even if they were bigger and tougher then me..."

His voice trailed. Now was the part where Fuse would tell him he was being ridiculous like Mako did back when he was six. And like Opal did last year when, on a whim, he actually tried asking Lord Zuko for permission to borrow his dragon Druk for an afternoon, just to see what it was like.

Fuse merely shrugged and said. "A nice dream. But it also takes a lot of discipline to earn a dragon's respect." She scratched Flare under the chin. Then she cast Bolin a fleeting glance. "You're much too kindhearted for that." 

Bolin felt his ears warm a little. "Yeah, you're probably right." He gave Flare one final pat, leaned back on his heels and crammed his hands in his pockets. "So, if not a dragon, what animal would you recommend for me?"

Fuse thought a moment. "A flying beast with a kind nature... I'd say a sky bison would fit that description." 

Bolin laughed. He couldn't help it. "Tell that to Juicy. He tried to throw me off his back twice on our way here." He had meant it at a joke, but somehow his tone only wound up sounding sarcastic and bitter by the end. 

Fuse startled back a little. Probably wondering if it was something she said. "Odd, Juicy's never given me any trouble..."

"Opal probably told him to do it." Bolin thought to himself. Or at least he thought it was to himself. He quickly learned otherwise when Fuse cocked her head and asked. "Who's Opal?" 

Bolin clamped his mouth shut. But it was too late. 

_Crap, crap, crap. What did I just do?_

"Opal? Oh, you know...she's a girl..." _That's right. State the obvious. Real smooth, Bolin._

"Yes, I gathered that," said Fuse. "She is a friend of yours?"

Bolin shifted in place. "No. Not exactly... I mean, she was once. Well, actually, she was more then that until..." He felt his throat tighten. Why did he even bring this up? Stupid!

Fuse had a puzzled look on her face, like he was speaking a foreign language. Though he was pretty sure he wasn't. Unless pathetic-blubbering-idiot-who screws-up-relationships-ese counted as a language... 

"More than a friend?" Fuse asked.

"Yeah, you know, we were involved." When Fuse's expression didn't change he tried again, even if it did make his eyes water. "We were an item." 

No good. That only confused her more. His chest ached. 

"We were in love," he practically spat out the words. 

That struck a cord. Though not for the reason he expected. "Love?" 

"Jerkface never told you about love?"

"No." Fuse lowered her eyes a bit. "Weapons have no need for--" she started to recite, then stopped. "I mean--the topic never came up."

Hard to believe, but right then, Bolin almost envied her for that. "Yeah, well, you're probably better off." 

Fuse came to his side. When she spoke her voice was soft, almost careful, like she was handling a wounded turtle duckling. 

"This Opal... she hurt you badly."

"No more than I hurt her."

"If you... loved her," Fuse spoke the word 'loved' slowly, like she was trying out the feel of it. "Why would you do such a thing?"

Good question. Bolin couldn't remember how many nights after the breakup he spent lying awake asking himself that very question. Too many, Mako claimed. 

"I didn't mean to..." He felt himself sniffen and rubbed his nose with his arm. "Things were going great for a while. We defeated Kuvira and her giant robot, the world was finally safe for a change. Opal and I finally had the chance to spend time together. But... then Opal started talking about marriage..." 

Fuse took a second to respond, as if marriage was a word she only vaguely recalled. "That's good, right?" 

Bolin felt his face go hot. "Normally, yeah... which is why... she sorta took it the wrong way when I, um... ran screaming from the room."

There, he said it. Bolin braced himself, ready for the recoil. A lecture from Fuse couldn't be any worse than the verbal thrashing Opal had given him. Or the literal thrashing her brothers did. 

But Fuse didn't scold him. Or call him a coward. Or accidentally use her awesome combustionbending to blow him into pieces from laughing so hard. She merely blinked at him like she was trying to understand, which admittedly was a surprise.

"And why did you..." and here she chose her words very carefully. "...react that way to her suggestion? You don't want to get married?"

"No. I mean, yes, I do, someday... it's just, well..." Bolin scratched behind his head. "It's kinda a long story."

Fuse considered him, then sat down on the ground crosslegged, leaning her back against Flare's side. She patted the ground beside her. "I like hearing your stories. Tell me." 

So he did. Without sparing any detail he told her about his first near-brush with marriage to Eska at the Southern Water Tribe. Strangely, the more the talked the better he started to feel. Maybe Bolin had held in the pain for so long he couldn't stand it anymore.

Fuse listened patiently as he rambled, not interrupting even when he got to the part about Varrick and him making a run for the docks hidden away in a fake platypus bear which then proceeded to "poop money." 

"And Eska... she actually tried to chase down your boat on foot?" 

"Well, technically we were on water, but, yeah." Bolin shuddered a little. "It was pretty scary." 

Fuse whistled. "After that experience, I can see why you'd be hesitant to marry."

"I did try to apologize to Opal," Bolin admitted. "But all she said was that she wouldn't 'burden me' with our relationship anymore. She's stubborn that way. Kinda a family trait." He slumped a little lower.

Fuse shook her head. "I may not know much about love, but even I can see you're being too hard on yourself, Bolin. You made a mistake hurting Opal. But consider what else you accomplished. You survived ten years on Republic City's streets. You clawed your way to the probending championship. You helped defend your home against terrorists, single-handedly saved the president from being kidnapped, 'willed' yourself to learn lavabending, fought and defeated a dangerous group of assassins and Kuvira's super-weapon. You're a brave, selfless, person... and if Opal can't acknowledge that, then perhaps the two of you are better off apart."

"Gee... I never though of it that way." Maybe Fuse was right. He had hurt Opal, but he had also tried to talk things out. To explain that he had a bad experience with Eska and, perhaps, had overreacted just a bit. But Opal couldn't bring herself to hear his side of the story. Instead, she'd dumped him like their last four years together had meant nothing. Like he was nothing. Maybe just to make him feel how she felt...

 _But I'm not nothing._ He remembered Fuse's words. All the good things he had done. Sure, he may not have done them perfectly. But still, how many people could say they had helped save the world? Maybe he and Opal were never meant to be. Maybe they both just needed different things. And maybe... he could be okay with that.

Fuse certainly had a way of putting things into perspective. Admittedly, it was one of the things he admired about her. "Thanks, Fuse," he said softly. "I needed that."

"What are friends for?" She nudged her arm into his. He nudged her back, a bit too hard. She bumped Flare's side with her elbow. Flare growled, nearly making him jump a mile. 

_Aakk! I forgot about the dragon!_

Fuse was up in a heartbeat, the dragon's head in her hands before Flare could so much as sniff aggressively in Bolin's direction.

"Sorry. I guess she's still a little cranky from being pent up..." Fuse's voice trailed as she seemed to consider her own words. Bolin watched her look at Flare, than the saddle she had just finished polishing, then back to Flare again. Fuse had an odd glint in her eye too. Like the kind of look he used to give Mako as a kid just before he was about to do something his brother had specifically told him was a bad idea but that he totally had to try anyway. 

Bolin's suspicion was confirmed when Fuse gathered the saddle and began placing it across Flare's neck. 

"Um, is that really a good idea?" _Man, now I'm starting to sound like Mako._

"Probably not," she admitted, cinching the saddle into place. "But Flare needs exercise." She set her foot in the stirrup and hauled herself up. Flare grumbled and shuddered under the new weight. 

"Plus," and here Fuse gave him a wonderfully childish smile, "I've always wanted to try this." She paused, considered, then smiled even wider and offered him her hand.


	24. What True Freedom Means

"Hold on," Fuse said. A poor choice of words. She had meant for him to hold the saddle. But Bolin gripped her waist instead. She had to pause a second to catch her breath, which had fled for some reason. 

"Right, then." She patted Flare's neck, raised her voice, and hardened it into a command. "Fly!" 

Flare lifted onto her haunches, spreading her wings to the fullest. Then she pushed off. Air and the sound of wingbeats accosted them as Flare rose higher. For a split second, Fuse thought she heard Griff exclaim something like, "Well, I'll be a panrilla's uncle!" just before the stables shrank away. 

Flare flapped harder, gaining speed. This time, Fuse caught a blurred glimpse of the palace's central watchtower whizzing past as Flare tilted and made a wide turn. Below them, guards and palace workers alike scurried like ants, gasping and pointing. 

Flare whipped around for another circuit, her turn tighter this time. 

Bolin pulled Fuse in close, his shouts so loud they made her ears ring. "This--is--awesome!!" 

"Higher!" Fuse ordered the dragon, though this time her command came out more like more like a child's laugh. Flare surged upward, eager to oblige. No. Perhaps just eager to fly. No one could blame her. Flare had been grounded so long, Fuse could have commanded the dragon into the middle of a firefight and Flare would gladly go if only to stay airborne a bit longer. 

Sad to say, Fuse was starting to know that feeling. The longer she stayed at the Fire Palace--every moment she spent with Bolin and Korra and Firelord Izumi or working with the animals--the harder it was to accept that she might have to give it up someday. 

If Jerkface came calling, she wouldn't have a choice. No more than Flare would if Firelord Izumi decided to betray her. Or could she? Flare would have all the freedom in the world if she actually managed to defeat her master. 

_Defeat her master._ Could Fuse even dare such a thing? No. Of course not. Weapons were tools. They didn't just up and fight the one who controlled them. No matter how much they wanted to. 

But weapons didn't do lots of things. They didn't make friends, didn't show compassion or give advice. They certainly didn't think about things like love or what kind of future they might have. But Fuse... she did all these things. And more. Did that make her more than a weapon now? 

Did that mean she could fight back? _Could_ defeat her master? 

Flare roared as if in answer to her unspoken thought. Her dragon voice was fierce and powerful, and it seemed to echo for miles. No one would take Flare's freedom without a fight. 

Behind her, Fuse felt Bolin yell in answer. Fuse had made a promise to him. She had sworn she'd never go back to her master, no matter what. At the time, she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep that oath. But now... things were different. _She_ was different. Fuse filled her chest and joined her voice with Flare and Bolin's. She yelled until her throat was raw. Until tears stung her eyes. 

"I'm never going back!" Dragon wings and rushing air drown out her words. She didn't care. Let the wind carry them all the way to Jerkface. "Never! Never! Never!"

Miles from the capital and the Fire Palace, Flare touched down on a ridge of rock overlooking a lush valley. 

"Wow..." said Bolin, almost breathlessly. "Check out that sunset!" He still had his hands around her waist. In the rush of flight, Fuse had nearly forgotten how close Bolin really was. She was aware of him now, though. Solid and strong and warm. 

"It's beautiful." She glanced behind her. The soft orange and yellows of the sky washed over Bolin's face and reflected like embers in his eyes. _Like you,_ some part of her thought. The non-weapon part? 

Flare sniffed the air, then bellowed. Not a thrill-cry this time. This was an alert noise. 

"What is it, girl? Do you see something?" Bolin asked, patting the dragon's neck fondly. 

Fuse was already scanning the valley. "There." She pointed. Off in the distance, rows of dark shapes moved in an orderly fashion. "Looks like Milady's reinforcements have arrived." 

Bolin grinned. "Do you think they can see us from down there?"

"I'd say it's a possibility... seeing as how we're sitting on a dragon."

Bolin laughed, then he stood up in the saddle, waved his arms frantically over his head, and yelled, "Hey, General! General! Up here! It's Bolin from Team Avatar!"

"You know General Iroh?"

"Well, sure. He helped us protect Republic City." Bolin waved harder. "Hey! It's good to see you again!" 

On the ground below them, a man in red gestured aside to a soldier near him who handed him something metallic. The man in red then raised his arms. Fuse caught a flicker of reflection--the end of a spyglass. He looked, startled back, looked again and then, miraculously, returned Bolin's greeting with a small wave. 

"Hey, look, he's waving!" Bolin cheered. "Come on, wave back!" 

Fuse did so, a less wildly than Bolin, and with a much more nervous smile. She could only imagine how she must have looked to General Iroh just then. A combustionbender and convicted criminal... riding his mother's dragon. It made Fuse even more glad Bolin was there. Seeing her with an ally was one less reason for General Iroh to bring the entire weight of his troops bearing down on her. Not that Korra or the Firelord would let that happen... 

"We should head back," she said, signaling to Flare. "I'm sure Milady will want to know of her son's arrival."

Bolin nodded and sat back down. Then raised his voice and yelled down to Iroh, "Bye! See you back at the palace!" Flare followed up with a long, echoing roar before taking off. 

\----

Korra did not greet Iroh at his arrival. She would feel bad about that later. She would feel especially bad about spending the entirety of the event in the spirit world.

Then again, she had an unfinished conversation that needed taking care of.

She found Zaheer resting beneath his tree and like before, he looked bored at her arrival. She didn't make any demands this time, though. She simply sat down and waited for him to speak.

"Now, let me see if I remember where we left off," he said, steepling his fingers. "Ah, yes, you wanted to know something about P'li's escape. But, realistically, don't you want to know what happened before that? What her life was like before her imprisonment?"

 _No, I don't,_ Korra screamed in her head. She felt like she needed some sort of medal for keeping her mouth shut. But she already knew much more than she wanted to about how the combustionbenders had been trained. The last thing she wanted was for Zaheer to give her all the gory details about a woman that one of her allies had killed. About a woman he'd loved. 

"There's a training facility..." Zaheer began. "They attack villages, murder the adults, and take the children to make it look like a complete massacre. But the children survive. They're given the tattoo to direct their chi energy down a forced, distorted path. It's horrifically painful, and many die in their teens." 

_You tried to kill me in my teens,_ Korra thought bitterly. _In a horrifically painful way, too._ But still, she kept silent. This was Zaheer's vengeance. For P'li's death. For Korra's survival. Let him have it if that was what he needed. She still won, in the end. 

"Now," Zaheer went on. "It might interest you to know that this training facility tortures its prisoners mentally as well as physically. They are trained to forget they are even human, given the names of objects rather than people. P'li's name was--"

"Pike. I know," Korra snapped. So she wasn't that great at keeping silent. She could only put up with so much. 

Zaheer's eyebrows raised. "So you heard already. Interesting. Do you know who gave her her human name?"

"Um, her mother?" Korra said, doing a lousy job of holding back the sarcasm. To her surprise, instead of lecturing her on her insensitivity, Zaheer slowly shook his head. 

"I don't know what her parents ever called her. And she didn't remember, either." He tilted his head back, breathing deeply, as if inhaling memories. 

\----  
 _"We're going to make the world a different place. A better place. Just wait and see." The sun was high and the open meadow was everything a place of freedom should be. Zaheer held Pike's hand and walked her all around. They stomped around on thick bunches of clover that felt like pillows beneath their feet. Well, Zaheer did, at any rate. Pike had to be dragged behind. She never stepped, never spoke, never did anything he didn't suggest in the first place. It was infuriating. There were few times he wished he was a bender more than when he saw her face. Because he didn't just want to command an army to destroy that place that dehumanized her. He wanted to rip it apart personally._

_But one thing at a time. He couldn't set his sights on petty vengeance. Not to begin with, at any rate. The biggest targets had to be hit first. Once the world was free of its oppressing leaders and its old-fashioned Avatar, then he could concentrate his energy on the lower-ranked individuals who had caused so much pain._

_He stole a glance back at Pike, who was standing there passively, as always._

_"What do you think? Who should be our first target, then? The Earth Queen? The Firelord?"_

_She shrugged. "You told me earlier that you wanted to wait until Lord Zuko passed the crown to his daughter before targeting the Fire Nation."_

_"Yes, yes. But what's your opinion.._

_Her body tensed. "I don't... have an opinion," she said hesitantly. "I'm just a--"_

_"No!" he snapped. She winced a bit, like she expected retribution. He breathed calmly and spoke softly. "No, don't call yourself a weapon. Please." He took her hands and looked up into her eyes. So much beauty buried beneath those years of abuse. "You're a human being," he told her, like he'd told her a hundred times already. "You must think of yourself that way. This world is your rightful place as much as anyone else's."_

_She nodded, but looked like this information was too good to be true for her. He wished he could find a way to convince her. Then the thought came to him._

_"I want to stop using that awful name they gave you," he said. "What's your real name? The one your were born with?"_

_She narrowed her eyes as if deep in thought, but suddenly she gasped and they widened again. She stepped back from him, massaging her forehead._

_"I can't remember," she told him. "They made us forget. Anything with our life... we were hurt if we tried to remember. I don't want to think about it anymore."_

_His chest seized with sadness for her. Not even a name. Well, he would fix that._

_"All right, I'm going to give you a name then," he announced._

_She cocked her head at him. "You are?"_

_"Yes, I am." Zaheer quickly realized that he didn't actually have any names in mind. He dug his heel into the clover as he thought. Then, he bent down, plucked one the blossoms up, and released it, letting it dance through the air and out of his reach. No longer tethered._

_"P'li," he finally said. The name sounded correct to him. He repeated it, and she nodded, repeating it back like a strange new taste. "The first sound of the old name that you're cutting away," he explained. "And 'Li' for your beauty and strength.._

_Then she smiled. It was such a rare thing in her; he watched as long as he could. "Thank you. It's mine now. It'll always be mine." She stroked the side of his face. "Just like you."_  
\----  
Zaheer felt his stomach seize and clenched his jaw. He would not shed tears in front of the Avatar. Not even for P'li. The goal was to show the Avatar the pain she'd caused, not to elicit her sympathy. He wanted her to hate him and herself in equal measure. 

"My earthly body must be returned to," he said. "I'm afraid that's all I have to say to you today. Try coming back another time."

"Hey, wait, you didn't even--" Korra reached out, but just like the last time, they spoke, Zaheer vanished in front of her. She grunted in frustrated and almost kicked a few purple mushrooms around to vent her anger. Then she remembered this was the spirit world. Kicking around anything, no matter how inanimate it seemed, usually ended with pain. She collapsed onto the ground and covered her eyes. Maybe it was good that Zaheer had left. The last thing she wanted him to see what that she'd been crying, too.


	25. The General and the Detective

Iroh and his soldiers docked without much fanfare. Not that they went unnoticed; a small fleet of United Republic warships showing up on the Fire Nation's shores was not exactly commonplace. But their peace flags flew high, and for the most part, people seemed more curious about these strange newcomers from a country filled with a variety of benders than about the actual reason they showed up. 

As soldiers unpacked supplies and settled in to camp outside the palace, Izumi met with Iroh in the throne room. Just to make things official of course. The flaming pillars on either side of the throne really brought home the effect. She watched the yellows and oranges dance across her son's face as he entered. 

"Your highness," he said with the obligatory bow. 

She wanted to jump up, to grab him and say that she was so happy to see him safe. Instead she cleared her throat. 

"You don't have to be that formal," she said. "This will be your throne some day, after all." 

He shifted uncomfortably at the reminder. "If that is what you chose. There's still my sister."

"That's not a possibility, and you know it." 

To this, he made no reply. For all his firebending skills, Iroh's heart was never in the Fire Nation. Growing up, he called his home old-fashioned, how there wasn't a single waterbender here and hardly any earthbenders. "You should see the United Republic," he went on after his first visit back home. "You should just see it, Mother. Firebenders, earthbenders, waterbenders. I wouldn't be surprised if some airbenders come to call it home one day, too. It's just amazing." 

''If he'd had Ozai for a father, I imagine such talk would have ended in banishment,'' she'd thought to herself with a shudder. Of course, Ozai never would have stood for a nonbender on the throne, either. How far their country had come in her lifetime alone. And yet, it still seemed so far behind. 

"So?" she finally asked when it was clear that Iroh wasn't saying anything else. "Has... everyone in your party arrived safely."

He nodded. "My wife and Kaja are in the palace rooms right now."

Izumi felt a small flutter of excitement in her stomach. She had to admit, she had never thought the idea of her child being old enough to have a child would please her in any conceivable way. But the memories that flowed back to her when Iroh had informed her that the new little prince was on his way... well, she would just have to check in and make sure the rooms were comfortable for Iroh's family. As soon as possible. 

''A new little prince,'' she thought. And then she wondered if Kaja would ever think of himself as a prince. Or if he'd go the way of his father and put as much distance between himself and the Fire Nation as possible. 

Iroh coughed loudly. "If there's nothing else to discuss, I suggest we hold a meeting of our military personnel as soon as possible."

Izumi shook her head. "Let your soldiers rest, Iroh. They'll thank you for it later."

Iroh grunted like "rest" was some old-fashioned Fire Nation concept he'd left behind years ago. Still, he nodded his consent. He'd never take a suggestion to rest himself, no matter how much exhaustion ate away at his calm façade. Insisting that it was the weak soldiers, not him, that needed the break, was Izumi's best method for forcing rest upon him. There were certain tactics a mother never forgot. 

\----

The library was old and smelled like dust. Bolin crossed his arms, determined to keep a firm-looking face. Once again, Mako wasn't paying attention, too involved with the papers on his desk to notice his little brother standing right in front of him. This bothered Bolin on a deep, personal level, so he decided to get Mako's attention by force. There were two things his brother always reacted to: Bolin's romantic life and Bolin socializing with people Mako didn't like. "So, yeah, me and Fuse are getting pretty close," he said, leaning back on a shelf full of scrolls. One of them poked him in the back, and he edged to the side. "Yeah, eating pastries. Having deep, interesting conversations, riding dragons. I'll admit, it's getting serious."

"Uh-huh," Mako replied. He stood, pulled a scroll out from behind Bolin, and sat down without another word. 

Bolin groaned. Okay, tactic one had failed. Time for tactic two. He walked over and leaned over on the little desk, making it impossible for Mako to see the top half of what he was writing. 

"What the--?" Mako said, glaring up at him. Well, at least Bolin had his attention now. 

"You're thinking something, bro," Bolin said. "I can tell because of that... that ''thinking'' look on your face. So what is it, already?"

Mako rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. I think something's weird with Firelord Izumi. She's keeping some kind of secret from us. Now get off the desk."

"Oh, what? Like she knew the combustionbender facility was buried in her nation all this time and just chose not to do anything about it?" 

Mako didn't answer. Bolin knew that was never a good sign. "Come on, Mako. You've been on edge ever since we came to the Fire Nation. And you're a firebender, for crying out loud."

"I'm a firebending citizen of the United Republic," Mako spat back. "I'm no more Fire Nation than you are Earth Kingdom."

Bolin straightened up. It was true that Republic City would always be his home, but he always felt a certain connection to the Earth Kingdom, too. Call it his family roots or something else equally deep-sounding. He'd sure never had any animosity towards it. Mako seemed to feel the opposite about the Fire Nation. 

"Look," Mako sighed, tucking his pen behind his ear. "All I'm saying is that the Fire Nation royal family has done a lot over the centuries to protect itself and keep its power. And Firelord Izumi hasn't exactly been making moves to turn over any authority to her citizens like Prince Wu did."

"Yeah, but, the Fire Nation's been at peace while she's been ruling it, too." 

"I'm not so sure it has," Mako said. "I'm finding evidence of a lot of uprisings that for some reason never got too big in the press. I mean, you can read about them if you really want to know, but no one seems to have explored them in any depth. You don't think that's weird." 

"No," Bolin answered. He did, but no way would he say that.

"Well, I do," Mako snapped back. He lifted Bolin's arms off the desk. Bolin didn't make any attempt to put them back. "And if you'll excuse me," Mako said. "I'd like to get back to work." 

"Fine then!" Bolin snapped, headed for the door. "I'm leaving! You do your... your... Mako thing! Alone!" He stormed out, hoping to make some nice loud stomping-away sounds down the hallway. Unfortunately, he'd only taken three steps when he bumped into Korra. 

"Ow," he muttered when their shoulders collided. Korra kept her focus forward, like she didn't notice him at all. 

"Hey, Korra!" he called out to her. 

"Mmm. Hey, Bolin," she replied, and kept going. Bolin watched her go, feeling twice now like he'd more or less dropped over everyone's radar-of-anything-important.

''At least I've got Pabu,'' he thought in an attempt to cheer himself up. Then a small smile formed on his face. ''And Fuse. I've got her, too.''


	26. Korra's Choice

Korra went straight for her room. Her training with Izumi had ended early; apparently the Firelord had some important royal meeting to attend. Which meant that it was time for Korra to talk to Zaheer again. She figured if she harassed him enough times, he would eventually give her the information she wanted. And besides that, she had a brilliant new tactic she planned to try out today. She was going to be honest. 

"Well, hello again, Korra," said Zaheer when she found him under the tree. 

Korra crossed her arms. "Fine. You were right last time, okay? I do want to know about P'li's escape. How did Sokka, Zuko, Tenzin, and my father manage to subdue your group once and fail to do it that time?"

Zaheer shrugged. "There could be a number of reasons for that. Tenzin wasn't able to arrive fast enough. Chief Sokka was obviously not at the second battle. I knew airbending." 

Korra's hands tightened into fists. It was a sorry shame that punching someone's face in the spirit world didn't actually do anything. 

"All right, I'm going to offer you an exchange, Korra." He said it like some shifty merchant, the kind that put a bunch of fresh-looking cabbages at the top of a crate, only to hide layers of rot underneath. "I know what information you've been looking for, and I'm going to give it to you. Then I'm going to give you a second piece of information. You're going to use this information to go on a specific mission."

"Um, pretty sure that depends on what your 'specific mission' is," Korra retorted, making quote marks in the air. 

Zaheer laughed at her. It was infuriating. "Fair enough. All right then, after I tell you what you want to know, I'm going to tell you where you can find the combustionbender's training facility. You're going to go in there, and you're going to destroy it." 

So that was it. Korra's hands balled into fists. "I'm not killing anyone for you, Zaheer." 

"Did I say kill? You added that word, not me. I said destroy. I want it leveled. Decimated. I don't want a hope of it ever being rebuilt."

Korra nodded, and her fists unclenched. For a brief moment, Zaheer looked human to her. She saw a pain in his face as even he couldn't shake the memories that were coming to him now. 

"You planned to go after this place yourself, didn't you?" Korra asked quietly. 

Zaheer nodded. "I rescued P'li and re-taught her everything that should have been as basic as breathing. That she wasn't an object, but a human being. Very few others like her had anyone to give them that lesson." He narrowed his eyes. "So, congratulations, Korra. Your team of heroes that protected you from the Red Lotus allowed thirteen more years of suffering for countless innocent firebenders."

"None of them knew!" Korra shot back. "If any of them had any idea that place was there--"

"Your naïveté would be cute if it didn't hurt others. Lord Zuko was well aware the place existed. He used a weapon once, did you know that? He's never been afraid to use any method to achieve his means, no matter how ruthless. Including bloodbending."

Korra gasped. Zaheer rolled his eyes. "Yes, Korra, in my first battle with Zuko, he did use bloodbending on all four of us. It was, as far as I could tell, the first time he'd revealed it to both Tenzin and your father." Zaheer exhaled slowly, allowing the memories of that battle to flow back to him. Like waves of water. Or drifts of snow.

\----

_The cold air of the Southern Water Tribe tundra whipped around Zaheer and his allies, but his body dripped with sweat all the same. His grin spread wide, making the cold air sting his exposed teeth. But he couldn't stop smiling. He had them cornered. After a long and difficult battle, he finally had them cornered. Firelord Zuko, Water Chief Sokka, the Avatar's father Tonraq, and the new leader of the Air Nation, Tenzin. Once they were taken care of, he'd have the young Avatar in his custody, her young mind ready to be molded to the truth of the Red Lotus. The helpless world leaders were trapped on a patch of thawed ground, surrounded by a small moat of Gazan's lava. Next to Gazan, Ming-Hua threatened anyone who tried to move with one of her water whips, while P'li made her stand from a ledge above the whole group, readying one of her blasts if someone managed to escape._

_To knock out, not to kill. She'd never kill again, she'd assured him. She'd defend him until her own death, but she'd never kill for him. Any blood would be on his own hands. He was okay with that._

_He was about to signal Gazan to widen the lava, to shrink the area his enemies had to stand on. Then he noticed two of them muttering to each other. He narrowed his eyes, straining to hear them over the wind._

_"...no other choice, it seems," Zuko was saying._

_Sokka smiled. "Sorry, old friend. I did my best."_

_"It's been seventy years. You did all right. Don't tell your sister about this."_

_"Chief's honor."_

_Zaheer's smile vanished at once. They were planning something. He didn't know what it was, but he had to move fast. He started to call to Gazan, to order him to let the lava swallow their captives. But suddenly, his voice failed him. He strained to shout again and again, but no sound came out. Was this some trick? Zaheer tried to raise his hand to signal Gazan, but his hand wouldn't move either. It was as if he'd become frozen in place, and no matter how much his mind screamed at his voice and body, they refused to obey._

_Bloodbending, he realized. His heartbeat sped up; he could feel it pounding in his ears. His muscles did not tighten in pain, as he'd heard bloodbending could do, but they refused to move all the same._

_He had control of his eyes, still, and he looked up, desperate to see which of the leaders could possess such a power. Sokka or Tonraq, of course, since they were of the Water Tribe. But Tonraq looked shocked, searching around like he had no idea why his oppressors had backed down, why the lava around them was cooling._

_Zaheer tried to look further up to catch sight of P'li, but he would need to lift his neck to see her, and that he couldn't do now._

_Get away, he wanted to scream at her. Save yourself and get away!_

_Sokka led the way across the cooled lava. He didn't seem to be bending. Didn't seem to be doing anything other than talking. Tonraq and Tenzin backed away from Sokka and Zuko with wide eyes and frightened expressions._

_"What... what is this?" Tenzin was stuttering. He sounded like a confused child._

_"Bloodbending," Tonraq said coldly. "Chief Sokka, you had better have a good explanation for this!"_

_It wasn't Sokka. Zaheer watched the water chief for any signs of bending, but there were none. He did notice Zuko's stance, though. Hands open, palms upwards. It was easy for an untrained eye to miss. But Zaheer had P'li on his side. She didn't let him miss things like that._

_"Leave Sokka alone," Zuko said. His voice did not shake; this was no effort at all. "And for heaven's sake, call the white lotus members to restrain these criminals. I can't hold them forever. And you up there!" He looked straight up. He'd seen P'li. "Get down here with your friends, or I promise, there will be consequences."_

_Zaheer heard rustling, but couldn't move. She would run. She had to run. She wouldn't be foolish enough to stay behind for him._

_"Let them go!" P'li's voice called out. "Do it now or I shoot you!"_

_"Is that so?" Zuko asked. Zaheer felt his body yanked backwards. Like he was falling sideways. Then it stopped, as if he had rammed into an invisible wall. The nearby grunts of pain from Ming-Hua and Ghazan let him know the same thing had happened to them. All three were pressed against each other now. And the trio of them were right next to Zuko._

_"Go ahead then, shoot me!" Zuko yelled. "Or get down here. But if you try to run, I will kill all three of them!"_

_Zaheer didn't doubt it for a second. Someone who had so little concern for seizing control of a person's body would have no qualms about ending a life. He heard P'li's voice shake with her reply._

_"You're bluffing!"_

_No, he's not, Zaheer thought. You're the one who's refused to kill. You're the one who's bluffing._

_Zuko let out a laugh. "I am the son of Ozai, the man who nearly destroyed two nations in his quest for power. And you think I'd hesitate to murder a single man to protect myself and the Avatar?" He motioned with his hand. Zaheer collapsed onto his knees. He felt his vocal chords vibrating, only he wasn't the one controlling them. Against his will, his voice let out a cry as if in horrific pain. His hand moved up to clutch his chest. Only, the whole time, there was no pain. His chest was fine. The Firelord didn't plan to hurt him, only to give the illusion of pain. But it was a powerful illusion. And it made P'li hesitate. She didn't notice when Chief Sokka aimed his boomerang at her hand, the hand keeping her grip on the cliffside. Sokka's blow struck home, and P'li cried out as she lost her balace. She started falling into Zaheer's view, and this time, his chest really did feel as if it would explode. He was about to watch her die, to break her neck on the hard ground--_

_But then she stopped. Her body floated inches above the ground, her eyes closed._

_There was some muttering from Tenzin. Zaheer wanted to cry out to her. Just to call her name. But still, he couldn't move._

_"It's all right; she's only fainted," Zuko said. His fingers twitched, and P'li was lowered safely to the ground._

_"I've signaled for the White Lotus," Tenzin announced. "They'll be here soon." He looked over Zaheer's fallen group. "Are you going to explain any of this, Firelord Zuko?"_

_"Ask your mother," Zuko said. "She'll explain it all, I'm sure."_

\----

Back in the present, in the spirit world, Zaheer pulled himself from his memories. It wasn't much of an escape. His body now was still the same as it had been back then. A whole world out there, and he was trapped. 

"Satisfied now, Korra?" he asked. "Tonraq and Tenzin swore to keep Zuko's secret, of course. And who was I or anyone else going to tell? We were being sent off to isolated prisons. And besides that, we were all a bunch of raving lunatics. Who would believe us?" He grinned. "As for our second battle, do you really think any of us would be so foolish as to get within range of a known bloodbender? Ghazan battled Zuko from a safe distance. I believe he prevailed using an ancient technique known as hit your enemy with a rock." Zaheer smiled, but Korra did not find any amusement in the joke. "Well, now, I believe I've fulfill my end of our little bargain. Time for you to fulfill yours." 

"I'll fulfill it when I'm good and ready," Korra retorted. Zaheer didn't argue with her. She sounded ridiculous, and they both knew it. Because she was going to do exactly what Zaheer had asked of her. As the Avatar, as Fuse's friend, there was no way she could do anything less. 

\----

"Now then," Izumi said, directing the attention of everyone in the war room to a large map nailed to the wall. The map showed the city of Sunport at its center with about a fifty mile radius around it. Izumi pointed at the middle of the map, feeling a bit like a schoolteacher. Her audience certainly acted like students. One of lieutenants even covered a yawn. 

"As you can see," she went on. "Sunport is located in a vital position so close to the water. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that Ember Island might be these ruffians' next target. If you'll look at the reports in front of you," here she specifically motioned to the lieutenant who'd been yawning, "you will see that our latest findings do not seem to show any intention of expansion. While this is positive news on its surface, I think we have to question why this gang would not seek to increase its hold."

A woman clad in sergeant's attire raised her hand. Izumi nodded for her to speak. "Do we have any way to get some insider information about what they're doing there?"

"Unfortunately, no," Izumi said. "But I believe we may be able to get some spies into the area to gather such information. And possibly even seek out a route to evacuate the innocent civilians before we plan a full-out attack."

"There's no way you'd be able to evacuate a whole town and not have the people who've taken over the town notice." That was Iroh's voice. She didn't have to look up to know that. He stood at the back of the room, arms crossed, surveying everyone in front of him. Several of his underlings turned to look at their leaders, while others simply nodded their heads in approval. 

"I believe we should assess the situation first," Izumi said. "Or need I remind you, General, that this is not the United Republic. I make the final decisions here." 

"No reminders necessary, your highness." 

Izumi winced. She hated when her son called her that. She was pretty sure he knew it, too. "Then it's settled," she said. "We will send spies to see if there is anyway to get civilians out first. When that report returns, we will plan our next move. Dismissed."

There was some general muttering as the sea of red uniforms began to ebb from the room. Izumi felt more than a little uncomfortable as she watched them leave. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she did have some insider information she was simply not aware of. Fuse had been working for the very people they were now trying to take down. 

Of course, Izumi had seen the way the combustion bender had reacted when reminded of even a bit of her past -- she'd almost murdered the Avatar right in the Fire Nation palace. And besides that, Izumi had asked her some basic questions already. Their enemy seemed to have done a pretty thorough job of keeping Fuse ignorant of their plans. That was a closed door, and trying to pry it open anyway was only going to cause more pain. 

Izumi pushed a piece of graying hair out her face. She couldn't be completely down. She had expected the meeting to go on much longer than it had, giving her a bit of open time. Time enough, perhaps, to try riding a dragon.


	27. Fuse's Shadow

Firelord Izumi was doing better with Flare. Fuse could see her confidence improve every day. Izumi's dragon was responding well to this new attitude as well. Flare now accepted Izumi's company in the stable and had grown accustomed to, perhaps even fond, of the Firelord's affectionate nose rubs and chin scratches. It would be a while before the Firelord and her dragon built the trust needed to fly together... but everything in due time. For now it was on to the next step--getting Flare to accept food offered from Izumi's own hands without harming Izumi in the process. No small task when dealing with a hungry dragon.

But Izumi was determined to succeed despite the risk. It was an admirable quality of hers--no doubt passed down from her father. Fuse would never admit it, but she envied Izumi for that--of knowing where she came from... even if Izumi and Lord Zuko's relationship was tenuous at best. Fuse couldn't recall her own parents. Not without flashes of agony. 

"Well," said Izumi. "I'm ready when you are." Fuse could tell from her tone she was mentally bracing herself and didn't blame her. She was the Firelord and was expected to remain poised and proper no matter what the circumstances. This Fuse did not envy. 

Scaling Flare's trough, Fuse unscrewed the top off a barrel of 'fresh' halibut and upended the contents into the large, rectangular, metal food holder. The fishy smell that permeated the barn was nothing short of unbearable. Perfect for a hungry dragon. Not so much for the poor humans who would be dishing it out. 

Fuse swallowed, struggling not to gag openly in front of the Firelord, though one look at Izumi's face revealed it was clear she was having a similar dilemma. It didn't take long for Flare to catch wind of her meal. Fuse and Izumi heard her eager sniffing all the way from the paddock outside. When the dragon finally did poke her head inside the building, she had worked up a rather impressive lather. 

"Right, then." Fuse jumped down. Then, after a final, precautionary swallow, she dug her hand into the fishy grossness, yanked out a promising-sized halibut, and held it by the gills. Flare moved within a few feet of her then lowered her huge head, sniffing eagerly as Fuse extended the fish. 

"Gentle," Fuse said firmly. Flare snorted flame. Then, after a moment's consideration, she parted her jaws just enough to pluck the fish from Fuse's hand, as gentle as if she were reaching to preen a hatchling. Fuse stepped aside, smiling with satisfaction as Flare munched and crunched and finally tossed back her head and swallowed. 

Then Fuse looked expectantly to Izumi. "Your turn."

The Firelord stiffened, swallowed, and finally steeled herself. She reached into Flare's trough, unflinching, and pulled out another sizable fish. Flare watched her every move, tongue flicking impatiently. When Izumi slowly extended the fish to her, the dragon's eyes narrowed and she curled her lip in warning. 

Only Izumi's eyes moved, just for a second, to affirm from Fuse the dragon body language she was just starting to understand. 

"Keep steady. She's testing you," Fuse answered Izumi's unspoken question. 

When the Firelord didn't hesitate at her threat, Flare snorted, stomped one foot in frustration, then finally lowered her head to take the food as gentle as she had with Fuse. Again she crunched, reared back, and swallowed. 

Izumi and Fuse exhaled their relief simultaneously. "Well done, milady." 

"Thank you." Izumi gave her a half-smile and Fuse could see pride in her eyes despite the sheen of sweat that still glistened on her forehead. Fuse was proud, too--proud that she had been able to help someone for a change using a skill other than her ability to fight. It was one more small reminder that she could be more than a weapon.

Izumi was in the process of feeding Flare another fish when some unseen scurrying noise across the barn made the dragon hiss. The unexpected reaction made Izumi startle backwards and nearly lose her balance. Fuse caught her shoulder just in time. "It's all right, milady. It's just Shouga." 

"Shouga?" 

"My volcat."

Shouga ambled in, right on cue, drawn by the smell of Flare's lunch. She wasn't alone. Romping along close behind was the black eel-hound runt. He wore a slim leather halter on his head and what looked to be the remains of a training harness. Only one strap was actually still keeping the harness on. The rest of the buckles, and any other bits within teething range, had been chewed off. 

The pup bounded to Fuse's side, rearing up to plant his front paws on her shoulders. Fuse staggered back a few steps. "Well, if it isn't my little shadow. Did you sneak past Griff again, naughty boy?" 

The pup responded with a flurry of eel-hound kisses that made Fuse sputter and spit. She countered him quickly, reaching out to tickle the pup's ribs until he wiggled himself off of Fuse and onto his side, tail thumping all the while. 

"He certainly is fond of you," said Izumi.

"Yes," Fuse agreed. "Some might argue a bit too fond. She worked open the last buckle around the pup's neck and tossed the ruined harness aside. "It's made training him a bit challenging, I'm afraid." 

"Well, then, perhaps you should take charge of him." 

An intriguing notion. Admittedly, Fuse had considered suggesting the same idea to Griff more than once over the weeks. But Master Jerkface's ingrained zoology lessons, and the new ones Griff had been teaching her about eel-hounds in particular, always put a quick end to that delusion. It was the same now. 

"I would if I thought it would help, milady," Fuse told Izumi honestly. "But Griff's having enough trouble getting the pup to respond to him and the other handlers. If I take over training him, chances are he'll imprint on me as his master. He'd be useless to your stable."

"You think so?" Izumi said in a thoughtful tone--the same tone she had once used with Fuse over tea when she was trying to reason away the need for Fuse to wear chains. "Well, I think a trained eel-hound is more useful than a willful one running amok across my palace. A trained hound can help advertise the quality of my runner-beasts, maybe even father of a champion litter someday. So if you think about it, you becoming his trainer will only benefit my stable in the long run. Don't you agree?"

She looked to Fuse as if she expected a reply. Fuse stared back, keenly aware that the Firelord had somehow just logiced her way into giving Fuse ownership of the pup, but still not quite believing it. 

"Um... yes?" Fuse finally said, though her answer was only a formality at this point. She was talking to ruler of the Fire Nation, after all. 

"Excellent. I'm glad we could come to this arrangement."

"Me, too." Fuse wasn't sure what else to say. What she could say that would possibly express all that she was feeling?. She was surprised and grateful and happy. And still, part of her couldn't help wonder. Was this a bargain? A trade for her help with Flare? 

Did it matter if it was? 

No. She stooped down to rub the pup's belly making one of his hind legs twitch. "You hear that, boy? You're mine now." 

The pup, _her_ pup, her Shadow, butted her with his snout, knocking her off balance just long enough to tackle her to the ground. He licked her face until it was raw. Fuse made a show of shoving him off. But in truth, she was glad. At least this way Izumi wouldn't see the happy tears streaming down her face. 

The two of them must have caused quite a scene. Even Flare paused in her eating long enough to watch the spectacle before hissing a second warning at Shadow and the volcat who was starting to wander dangerously close to Flare's trough. The pup, who was too delirious in his own happiness to even notice the dragon until now, sprang up and pressed tight against Fuse. He made a throaty gurgle. A weak warning considering his body was lowered with submission and his tail was still drumming. 

Shouga was not so easily frightened. Ignoring the looming dragon above her, Shouga scampered up the side of Flare's feeding trough and took a curious sniff at the contents. Flare growled and snorted flame close enough to singe Shouga's whiskers. The volcat, in turn, arched her back and bared her teeth. 

"Shouga, that isn't yours." Fuse approached and lifted the volcat, pulling her away the instant before Shouga tried to latch onto Flare's snout. "Probably just as well, too." Fuse grunted as she hefted the animal. "You're getting a little pudgy." Shouga hissed and squirmed in Fuse's arms. Fuse managed to avoid the worst of her claws and raspberry the volcat's belly. Fuse did not avoid the angry toe-nip she received the instant she put Shouga on the ground. 

"Ow! Why you little..." 

Shouga was already running out the door, all too pleased with herself. Fuse watched her go, then seated herself on the closest storage chest and massaged her aching toe. "You think raising a dragon is difficult? Try raising a volcat." She plucked a clean rag from a bin nearby, scrubbing fish oil and eel-hound spit off her hands and face.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Izumi smirk. "No, 'milady' this time?" 

Fuse stiffened. Had she really been so careless? "I beg your pardon mi--" She started to stand, to bow in apology, but only succeeded in stubbing her other toe. Izumi held up her hand, trying her hardest not to chuckle. 

"It's fine. Really. No one in here to impress but the animals, and I'm sure they won't tell anyone." 

"No I... suppose not." Fuse slowly let herself sit back down and relax again. The woman did make a fair point. Without guards and other impressionable citizens to keep up an appearance for, Firelord Izumi was free to just be regular Izumi. Though why she would let Fuse see this side of her was still unclear. Fuse wondered--had they actually become friends? Was that why she had entrusted Shadow to her? 

Izumi handed Flare the last fish then joined Fuse at the rag bin and took a clean cloth for herself. "Kalos used to remind me of that all the time when we were out here. You know he almost brought home a volcat once. He always wanted to try his luck breeding them. I suppose it's a good thing I never allowed it." She smiled an odd smile. Wise, wistful, and, for an instant, strangely sad, too. Fuse didn't know quite what to make of it. 

That bothered her. Sure, Izumi was never the easiest person to read, but Fuse had never had trouble like this before. Fuse tried to study her closer, looking for some missed gesture or subtle face change that might clue her in as to what exactly the Firelord was dwelling on--and thus how to respond. But Izumi caught her staring and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Fuse went back to scrubbing her hands. "It's nothing." 

"It's not nothing or you wouldn't have made that face. What's bothering you?"

Fuse wasn't aware her expression had changed, which only bothered her more. If she was this baffled inside, she could only imagine how foolish she must have looked on the outside. She twisted the rag in her hands. "It's... whenever you talk about Kalos, it makes milady..." She tried to think of how to phrase her observation without coming across as offensive. "...hard to read."

Izumi frowned, just a hair. Fuse scratched behind her head. There was no way to phrase it politely. She sucked in a breath and tried to clarify. "You are happy but sad at the same time, and there is something in your eyes. I don't know what it is, and I can't explain why." 

Izumi was quiet for a moment, and Fuse could see her face go still and serious as she mulled over Fuse's words. "Something in my eyes when I talk about..." All of a sudden, Izumi's features lifted and she nodded in an exaggerated oh-so- _that's-_ what-this-is-about sort of way. Then she smiled a motherly smile. "You'll find out what it means someday... when you fall in love."

 _Love again._ That explained why she was so confused. Fuse shook her head lightly. "That's doubtful, seeing as how I can't fall in love."

"Oh? Why do you say that?" 

An honest question. "Because I'm a..." Fuse began and stopped when she remembered she was only part weapon now. "Because... no one taught me how." It was as good an explanation as any, and yet it came out so clumsily, Fuse actually felt her cheeks warm. She startled a little when she felt Izumi rest a hand on her shoulder. 

"Love isn't a skill, Fuse. It can't be taught or rationalized. It just happens. Sometimes without you even realizing."

Without realizing? How was that possible? The more she learned about this love thing, the more complicated it seemed to become. 

Shadow perked his ears and stood. He darted to the door, bouncing and yipping with puppyish joy. He nearly toppled over Bolin, who gave Shadow head scratches as the eel-hound leaned into him. "Hey, buddy. Is Fuse around?" Odd. He sounded a little nervous. 

Shadow _garerrrred_ in answer, trotting back over to Fuse's side for more pets. Bolin looked over but immediately straightened when he noticed that it wasn't only Fuse nearby. "Oh, hey. Are you busy? You look busy. I'll come back. "

Izumi stood, prompting Fuse to do the same. "That's not necessary. We were just finishing up." She offered Shadow a light chin scratch then looked to the pup's new owner. "I'll go settle things up with Griff and have him draw up Shadow's ownership papers for you." 

Fuse nodded then dipped her head just slightly. The gesture was not meant as the formal bow of a subject, but rather, an acknowledgment of deep gratitude and respect from a friend. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome."

Bolin smiled, clearly happy that she was happy, but also a little unsure how to conduct himself in his present company. "Oh, okay. Yeah, that's good, 'cause um... you were kind of wanted in the big war meeting room place."

Fuse assumed he was talking about Izumi. But Bolin's eyes never left her for some reason. She wasn't the only one who noticed, either. One of Izumi's eyebrows arched in Fuse's direction. She pretended not to notice. "I assume you mean the Firelord?" she asked Bolin. 

"Oh! Yes," he quickly clarified, giving Izumi a hasty bow. "You. Your majesty. Firelord, ma'am."

"I appreciate the notice." She started to leave, though not before offering the two of them a knowing little smile. "Enjoy yourselves."

Bolin cocked his head. "Um, enjoy what now?"

Fuse shrugged and ruffled Shadow's ears. "You're early today. Why? Is everything all right?" 

"Yeah, sure. Everything's fine." He shifted in place. "I was just thinking. You've been working nonstop since you got here." 

True but not entirely accurate. She had been working nonstop since she was seven years old. Bolin went on. "Every morning you're up training Korra with the--you know-- _heipp-boom. Kaboom!_ " He drew a breath mimicking her combustionbending exhale then gestured with his hands to indicate the explosion to go with his sound effects. "And the _wwahhh!_ " This time he pulled himself into a mock fighting stance that make him look like a clumsy insect. "And then you spend all afternoon here where you're like, 'I am the mighty dragon whisperer. Behold my awesomeness!'" He wiggled his fingers in the direction of Flare, as if casting some sort of spell. 

Fuse laughed. "That's about how it goes--sort of. What's your point?" 

"My point is you deserve a night off for a change." 

An intriguing thought. Even though realistically she wouldn't know what to do with herself. But Bolin was trying to lead up to something, so she decided to humor him. "I suppose I am a few decades overdue for a break."

It was just the answer Bolin was waiting for. "Great. Now that that's settled..." His voice got nervous again "I don't suppose you'd want to... go into town with me later? Just the two of us?" He put a little emphasis on that last part, an implication Fuse didn't understand. Why would going somewhere with Bolin be any different than the time they spent together here? And why was the suggestion making him so nervous? What was he scheming? Best to find out. 

"To do what, exactly?" 

A boyish smile bloomed on Bolin's face, like he had been waiting for her to ask that very thing. "It's a surprise."

 _A surprise?_ Now there was a novel concept. Jerkface had taken special care to train his weapons to predict and counteract before anyone managed to surprise them. But despite all those lessons, despite all the time she had spent with Bolin, Fuse still had absolutely no clue what kind of surprise he had in mind. How could she really when he was so unpredictable--so, well, Bolin-ish--all the time? It was both frustrating and oddly invigorating, too. Bolin kept her on her toes. Kept her curious and wanting to know more. See more. Live more. He was doing it again now. 

"A surprise, hmm?" Fuse scratched her chin. "Yes, that sounds fun. I'd love to." 

"Great. It's a date. I'll come by later around sunset after your shift is over." 

"Great," replied Fuse. She watched Bolin walk away, chest high and with the cutest little bounce in his step. Then she rubbed Shadow's ears again. "Hear that, boy? I've got a date." The eel-hound made a short of _grarru_ noise and cocked his head as if to ask, "What's a date?" Fuse realized she didn't know, either. _Crap._


	28. An Important Mission

When Izumi had said that she was attending an important royal meeting, Korra had assumed that the Firelord meant a meeting about which Firelord portrait should hang on which wall or something. She didn't think it was the actual meeting with General Iroh and his soldiers about how they should reconquer Sunport. 

"There was no significant progress made," Izumi had assured her. "We decided to send spies into the area to gather more information before we make a move." 

"Oo, spies," Korra muttered as she punched the empty air and sent out a fire blast towards no one. "That's really aggressive. I'm sure the bloodbenders are all shaking in their shoes." Of course, to Izumi's face, she had simply said it sounded like a fine plan and she would wait to hear more. 

Korra punched forward, and a blast of fire appeared before her, vanishing seconds later. Practicing by herself, she couldn't really work on bloodbending. She'd tried the flight thing out a couple times, but somehow, her heart hadn't been in it. 

Firebending always felt good when she had a lot of pent-up aggression. Plus, it felt like a way she could safely mock Izumi. The stupid Firelord probably just got so harsh with Korra because she could do the one thing Izumi longed to do and never could--firebend. 

_I won't be like her,_ Korra promised herself as she spun on the ground, kicking up flames with her feet this time. _Or Zuko. If I get in a situation where bloodbending could save myself or my friends, I'm going to use it._ While it had brought her some comfort knowing that Zuko had given it his all against the White Lotus, that didn't mean he hadn't held back other times. No one could keep a secret like that and not pay a price for it. 

At that moment, Korra heard the door creak open. She stopped firebending immediately, not really in a mood to deal with an irritated Izumi if that's who it was. 

It wasn't. 

"I thought I might find you here," Fuse said. She walked in and shut the door behind her. "This is awkward, but I have a question, and I'm unsure who else to ask..." 

Korra tried to listen to what Fuse was saying. She really did. But her eyes lingered on Fuse's tattoo, and she felt Zaheer's words creep into her head: _"They attack villages, murder the adults, and take the children... They're given the tattoo to direct their chi energy down a forced, distorted path. It's horrifically painful."_

Fuse noticed. And judging from the look she gave, she was both puzzled and irritated by the fact. "Are you listening, Avatar?" 

"Sorry? What?" 

Fuse let out an exasperated exhale then began again. "I was wondering if you could offer any advice regarding... what exactly I'm supposed to do on a date. I tried asking the guards, but they just laughed at me."

 _Hang on, what's this about a date?_ "Someone asked you out?" 

"Yes." 

"Who?" Uck... she was starting to sound like a gossiping schoolgirl. 

"Bolin." 

"Bolin?!" Korra exclaimed. She wasn't even sure why this surprised her. She knew the two of them had been spending the afternoons together. 

"Yes," said Fuse, a bit more nervously than before. "Is... that a problem?" 

Korra waved her hands. "No. Not at all. I just didn't expect... wow." 

_Good for him,_ she thought. It was about time Bolin had another chance at happiness after the whole Opal disaster. And Fuse did seem to make him happy. 

"Anyway," Fuse was saying. "I guess I just want to know what to expect." She looked at her feet, abashed. "I've never exactly done this before."

 _No. I guess she wouldn't have._ Korra tried to go over the basics with Fuse, the way an older sister might. But somehow what started as honest and helpful advice ended up turning into a long-winded recollection of her own muddled romances. By the time Korra had finished, Fuse not only looked confused, she was staring at Korra as if she had grown a second head. 

"So let me see if I have this straight. You started dating Bolin, then cheated on him with Mako, who then cheated on you with Asami. Mako then dumped Asami to be with you for good, only you broke up with Mako after a few petty arguments. You then forgot about this breakup after you lost your memory, but Mako didn't bother to correct you even though he was sort of seeing Asami again. Then you and Asami both dumped Mako, again, and are now seeing each other. All the while Mako and Bolin's family, who know both you and Asami broke up with Mako, are currently living in Asami's house." 

"Yeah, that about sums it up." _Man, that sounded really bad aloud, didn't it?_

Fuse kept staring, and her jaw slackened a little. "How are you still friends?" 

Korra scratched behind her head. "I... well, you see it's complicated, and..." Time for a subject change. "You know what? Let's get you a makeover." 

Fuse startled. "What? Why?" 

"Because that's just what you do, okay?" 

Korra led Fuse (okay, more like dragged her) to the Fire Palace spa. Inside, a trio of spa workers and the palace's head seamstress were gossiping like clucking hens. They nearly fled like birds, too, when Korra barged though the door. 

"I have an important Avatar mission for you folks," Korra announced, with particular emphasis on the "Avatar" part just to make sure they'd take her seriously. 

The head seamstress, an older woman with a weathered face but clever eyes spoke. "But of course, Avatar Korra. How may we be of service?" 

Korra yanked Fuse forward. She looked like a frightened puma-deer fawn. And why not? She had probably never been in a place like this. Not that Korra could blame her. She never visited spas either. Not willingly, anyway. "My friend here is going on her first date ever and wants to look fancy for the occasion." 

A trio of "awws" from the spa workers made Fuse redden and squirm. A fitting payback for earlier. The seamstress nodded, gesturing to the spa workers. They bowed and scurried off to gather this and prepare that. Meanwhile, the older woman patted Fuse's hand. 

"There, there. No need to be nervous. It's Fuse, right? My Griff has told me all about you." 

Hearing the familiar name of her employer at the stables seemed to ease some of Fuse's anxiety. Though she still looked alarmed when Korra turned to leave. "You're not staying?" 

"Yeah, see, I'm not really into all this girly stuff. But you have fun." 

\----

The Fire Nation spies had returned empty-handed. Izumi had suspected they would, but still... this had always been a weak point for her. She always wanted some solution to every problem that didn't put any of her own citizens in danger. It was the main reason she had stayed out of the battle with Kuvira, not that Korra or Raiko had been fond of that reasoning. 

But now it seemed she was left with little other choice but to order her soldiers into a battle that would put a whole slew of innocent citizens at risk. And now her son had the fond duty of presenting that plan to everyone gathered in the war chamber. 

"With no other source of information, I'm afraid we'll have to move in with what we have," Iroh began.

Many of the men and women gathered shook their heads in disappointment. The tension hung around their heads like a thick cloud of smoke. 

"Hey, what about that combustion bender I've seen wanderin' around the palace?" some rookie lieutenant in the front asked. The whole room turned to stare at him. 

"There's a... combustionbender in the palace?" Iroh asked, as if the lieutenant had declared he'd seen a fire ferret earthbending. 

"Yes, there is," Izumi said firmly. "She was being forced by the bloodbenders to assist them against her will. The Avatar and her friends rescued her, and she has been staying in the palace, helping to train the Avatar. Since I obviously cannot do that myself." She cleared her throat. Probably laying it on a bit thick at the end there. 

Iroh didn't seem to notice, however. Instead, he slammed his palm down onto the table. "You mean to tell me, _your highness_ , that you've got a combustionbender that's aided our enemy living right here, and you haven't yet interrogated her?" he asked. "Why not?"

Why hadn't she? Izumi opened her mouth to reply, but realized she had no good answer. There was something about Fuse that made Izumi hesitate to ask her anything about what had happened before her arrival at the palace. Something that made it seem like talking about it could easily break the girl apart. And wasn't she a citizen of the Fire Nation, too? Shouldn't Izumi have been protecting her?

"I do not believe she would have very much information," she said, using as firm a voice as she could to cover up her self-doubt. "But yes, I will question her." 

"When, exactly?" said one of Iroh's officers. "With all due respect, your majesty, we need to move quickly." 

Izumi straightened. She would not be ordered about and doubted in her own palace, in her own war room, of all places. She might have been questioning herself lately, but everyone else would remember their positions or she would remind them. Firmly. 

"We will go forward with the plans exactly as we have discussed," she said sharply, as if scolding a child. "We will reconvene for one final meeting in twenty-four hours. If I learn anything useful from the combustionbender during that time, I will share it with you and we will alter our plans accordingly. Otherwise, we go forward with the attack on Sunport as scheduled. Now, if there are no other points to be made, this meeting is over."

Her voice had gotten louder than it needed to; she could hear it echo out of the dips in the walls where lanterns flickered delicate patterns around the room. No one moved or stirred. Iroh narrowed his eyes like he was disappointed in her. It was incredibly frustrating. How did a position with so much power make her feel so helpless?

"No further discussion points," Iroh said. "This meeting is adjourned." He stood and left, his soldiers following behind without so much as a mutter. Her soldiers bowed to her. She barely noticed them, too busy worrying about the next step she had to take. There was no beating around it anymore. She had to confront Fuse, no matter what painful memories it brought up. 

\----

Bolin was right on time. He was groomed neat as a pin and dressed in (what Fuse had learned from the chatty spa workers) was the latest Fire Nation fashions in burgundy and gold. For some reason she couldn't understand, Fuse liked this new look on Bolin, even if it was a bit excessive for a simple night out. Not that she had any right to judge. 

Back at the palace spa, Fuse had spent nearly two hours being sufficiently washed, primped, plucked, dyed, styled. and outfitted. Though she had questioned the spa workers adamantly many times during her outfit fittings--regarding the practicality of various fashions--her protests were always dismissed with hand waves and giggles. 

"Kira makes clothes for the royal family," one of the spa workers had said, indicating the older seamstress with an admiring smile. "And you are a guest of Firelord Izumi and a friend of the Avatar. We couldn't send you out in anything but the best. This is the Fire Palace, after all. We've got a reputation to uphold."

They had certainly tried their very hardest with Fuse. But after an hour of playing dress up with gaudy, restricting Fire Nation fashions that only made Fuse more and more uneasy, Kira finally stepped in. 

"Honestly, you lot. She's going on a date, not to a coronation," Kira chided before helping Fuse into a simple sleeveless dress of deep red. The outfit had accents of gold embroidery on the front and around the hem of the skirt, which flared slightly and stopped just at her knees. Fuse was grateful for that. This outfit, at least, she could move in... even if it was a touch flashy. 

Bolin clearly approved of her new look, though. Fuse caught him looking her over as if he was somehow meeting her again for the first time. 

"You look beautiful," he said with a touch of warmth to his voice that made her stomach flutter. Fuse started to smile, then looked down. "I feel foolish," Fuse finally said. Which wasn't true. What she felt was vulnerable. But she couldn't dare admit that. 

She stared at her feet. Even her boots seemed, in her mind, absurdly overdecorated. They were black and gold with dangling gold pompoms that shimmered as she walked. At least her footwear was comfortable, though. Not like the heels one of the spa workers had tried to put her in. Fuse had barely made it two steps in those before she (politely) requested something "a bit less hazardous."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bolin scratch his chin and she felt his eyes moving over her again. When Fuse met his gaze, she found he was staring at the gold and ruby circlet strategically placed to cover her tattoo. "The tiara is a bit much," he said, not unkindly. "But I have to say I'm loving the new hair color. Those red tips didn't suit you at all." 

Reflexively, Fuse ran her fingers through her nearly shoulder length hair--conditioned velvety soft and now dyed a deep black. The color it should have been. "The red was Eagon's idea. He said it made me look intimidating." 

"Who's Eagon?"

"Jerkface Junior." She shifted in place, suddenly eager to change topics. "So, what was this surprise you wanted to show me?" 

Bolin grinned. Then he straightened and offered Fuse his elbow. "Right this way." He led her off the palace grounds and into the bustling capital. Though it wasn't the first time Fuse had visited a busy city, it was the first time she had done so as a person and not a weapon. This new outlook opened her senses to all manner of things she had never noticed before. The sound of children laughing. The smell of flowers at a florist stand. A store front filled with beautiful artwork. She even caught a few wondering glances from passing gentlemen admiring her outfit--and silently envying Bolin. 

"This place is amazing," said Fuse when they reached a corner and paused for a second to let the traffic signal change. "Is it anything like the city you come from?"

"Sort of. The buildings in Republic City are much taller. It makes things a bit more crowded, but more exciting, too. There's always something going on. And the people there come from all over the world so you never know who you'll meet."

A place that accepted all people, no matter where they came from? Sounded almost too good to be true. Fuse wondered, could she, perhaps, find a place there too someday? A future? 

_A future doing what exactly?_ Fuse felt the doubt roil in the pit of her stomach. _Who would ever hire a combustionbending criminal? They'd have to be crazy._

When they reached the end of the block, Bolin turned to her. "Now, close your eyes," he instructed. 

Fuse started to protest. How was she even supposed to navigate with her eyes closed? But Bolin saw her argument coming and took her hands in his. "Just trust me, okay?" 

Fuse nodded, took a breath, and did as she was asked. This was part of Bolin's master plan. He would not lead her into harm. Bolin took her by the hand. Fuse heard traffic and people moving and the shouts of shop vendors. They crossed at least three more streets, (Bolin taking extra care that she didn't trip on a curb), before finally stopping. 

"Okay. You can open your eyes now." 

Fuse did and in that moment, all the nervous insecurities in her stomach turned back to excitement. They were in front of a theater. Above them, outlined in lights, was a picture of Bolin dressed in fur holding a red-headed woman in his arms. 

"Surprise!" cheered Bolin. "It's a Nuktuk marathon! I thought, instead of me just telling you about my adventures, I'd actually show you one." 

Fuse smiled, too. Had she been less disciplined, she might even have jumped up and down like an excited pup. "I can't wait."


	29. Someone Crazy

Bolin's eyes swept across the crowded screening room, marveling. He had heard that Fire Nationers loved their theater, but this... The crowd he saw as he and Fuse entered the room went beyond ordinary fandom and hinged somewhere between a Nuktuk cult and an unruly mob. 

"My, they sure are... spirited... aren't they?" Fuse said. Her eyebrows were raised but Bolin could see a flicker of delight in her eyes. 

"Yeah..." Bolin confirmed, though 'spirited' wasn't the word he came up with in his head. More like "obsessed." Half the crowd had some sort of Nuktuk memorabilia--Nuktuk t-shirts, plushies, bear-claw necklace replicas, and the like. There was even one group of friends wearing meticulously detailed costumes of the entire Nuktuk cast, including Ginger (complete with Varri-dyed red hair), Unalaq, and even Nuktuk's animal friends, Juji and Roh-Tan in full body fur suits. The guy dressed as Nuktuk even sorta looked like him. Same age. Same build. Same... hairstyle? 

_Now that's just creepy._ He gave Fuse's arm an insistent little tug. "Let's see if we can find a seat near the back..."

Fuse cocked her head at him. "You don't want to greet your fans?" 

She looked confused. No surprise there. After all the bragging he had done during their afternoon talks, Bolin sneaking away from attention was probably the last thing she expected. The truth was Bolin had intended to drop a few hints to the owner of the theater as to who he was--just to boost himself up a little, maybe get some free snacks or better seats. But now... Getting mobbed by crazed fans in costumes wasn't exactly the most romantic way to spend a date. Not that he could say that, of course. So he went with the next thing that popped into his head. "Nope. Tonight I'm all yours." _Yeah! That sounded suave!_

Fuse liked that answer, too. Bolin saw it in her cheeks just before she looked away. 

"Wow," a voice piped up from the row of seats just beside them. "That's the sappiest thing I've ever heard you say without a script in front of you!" 

Bolin felt his own cheeks warm. _It couldn't be. Is that..._ "Varrick?"

Two seats away, sitting lengthwise so that he took up almost the entire row, Bolin's friend Varrick gave him a lazy smile. 

"The one and only." He sprang up, gesturing for Bolin and Fuse to join him in his reserved row. Bolin started to decline--to keep his promise to Fuse. But before he could manage two words, Varrick somehow slipped around behind him and hooked his arms around both his and Fuse's shoulders. 

Fuse was not pleased by this. Not one bit. If not for the tiara blocking her tattoo, Bolin imagined there would have been a crater where Varrick was standing. He laughed nervously. "Fuse, this is my friend Varrick... who, apparently, has _absolutely no concept of personal boundaries_." 

Some of the tension left her face. "Varrick? As in the Varrick from your stories?" 

Varrick ruffled Bolin's hair as he grinned in Fuse's face. "Has this knucklehead been talking about me? Did he ever tell you about the time he and I barely escaped an exploding train car?" 

"The one you blew up, yes."

Varrick jostled them around into cushioned seats then flopped himself into one on Bolin's other side. Even with the entire row to themselves there, still wasn't much space to spare. Varrick, being rich and well, Varrick, had cluttered most of the seats with rich-guy necessities. Fancy pillows for extra cushion, plates of expensive finger-foods and chilled drinks, a tray with a typewriter. _A typewriter?_

"What _are_ you doing here?" Bolin asked. 

"Why, getting inspired, of course. I'm lookin' to expand the market for Varrick Industries. The war-machine business has been a little... slow since the whole giant-robot catastrophe thing. So I thought, time for a new focus. Something everyone can enjoy. Something that will put Varrick Industries on the map for generations."

 _Oh boy, here it comes..._ Bolin tried his very best not to sound worried when he asked. "And what's that, exactly?" 

"Why, entertainment, my boy! Entertainment. People love stories. They love them so much they'll pay top dollar to hear them. That's where I plan to come in." He winked. "With some strategically placed marking tossed in, of course." 

"Sounds great," said Bolin as a little bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. "But... why the Fire Nation?" 

Varrick threw out his arms as if to embrace the entire room. "Why _not_ the Fire Nation? Nuktuk's big news here, in case you haven't noticed. And if there's one thing potential investors love, it's to be involved in something _big_. Plus..." Here his grin relaxed into more honest smile. "...Zhu Li's always wanted to tour the Fire Nation--something about rustic charm or some such. She's off seeing the sights as we speak. Says she wants to get a summer home here." Varrick leaned back in his chair and helped himself to a spicy pepper-popper before offering the tray to Bolin. "I don't get it, but hey, whatever makes her happy." 

"Oh." He smiled. It was nice to see Varrick going out of his way to make Zhu Li happy for a change. He took a popper from the tray and bit it in half. Big mistake. Bolin made a mental note: peppers from the Fire Nation were _hotter_ than regular ones. Though his lips and mouth were numb, Bolin somehow managed to stick the second half of the snack in his mouth without drooling all over himself. 

"So," said Varrick. "Now you know why I'm here. What brings you to the Fire Nation, Bolin? As if I have to ask." Varrick prodded him in the ribs with his elbow in a wink-wink-nudge-nudge way. 

Bolin coughed, nearly choking. He shot Fuse a panicked look. "Oh, it's not like... I mean... I don't think it is. Unless... well..." He loosened his collar, his face burning. 

Fuse didn't even notice. Or pretended not to. She was busy mixing him a drink concoction from the array of options Varrick had set out nearby. "We're friends," she said at last, handing Bolin the glass. She didn't sound as unsure as he did. But there were unspoken questions in her eyes. Bolin wasn't sure how he was going to answer them. Not that he could at the moment. He chugged the drink without question and was surprised by instant, cooling relief with a tangy aftertaste. 

"Fantastic!" Varrick cheered, reaching past Bolin to offer Fuse a handshake. "Any friend of Bolin's is a friend of mine. What did you say your name was again?"

Fuse tolerated Varrick's grip longer than Bolin expected but still looked visibly relieved when he finally let go. "I didn't, but... it's Fuse."

"Fuse?" Varrick raised an eyebrow. "Hmm. Interesting nickname."

"Interesting... yes." Fuse muttered. Bolin could see her eyes darting nervously, combing the room for a change in subject. "You know, Varrick, if you're looking for Fire Nation support, you could always make a new Nuktuk mover. That was how you gained reputation among the Water Tribes? Am I right?"

"Sure is," said Varrick proudly. "Well, with the southerners, at least. The northerners are still a little angry after the whole vilifying their former leader--even though in the end he was sort of a villain--anyway, that's not important. What is important is you've just given me a brilliant idea, Fuse. Nuktuk. Fighting bad guys... but in the Fire Nation this time!" He made a dramatic sweeping motion. "We could call it... Nuktuk: Hero of the Fire Nation."

Bolin perked up. "Does this mean I can be a mover star again?" 

Varrick thumped him on the back. "Well, naturally. We can't have Nuktuk without Nuktuk, can we?" 

He yanked out the paper from his typewriter and crumpled it. Then he inserted a blank page, wound it into place and began typing out the title for his new screenplay. "Now we just need some ideas for a plot..."

Bolin thought. There would have to be action. Something only the Fire Nation could offer. "Ooo, oo! How about the Fire Nation is under attack by an evil dragon and the only way to defeat it is for Nuktuk to battle while riding another dragon?" Bolin practically shouted that last part. He couldn't help it. The thought of having a career... of being a hero again made his heart race. 

Fuse raised her eyebrows. "Sounds exciting."

Varrick laughed and grinned. "It sure does! I like it!"

The lights dimmed. Showtime. The darkness forced Varrick to pause in his typing which was just as well since the _click-click-click-click-ding-swish_ of his typewriter was still quite noticeable, even after the Nuktuk theme song started playing.

Fuse's eyes stayed glued on the screen even when the costumed fans in the front row started singing along as loud as they could. 

_Who's gonna fight for friends and freedom? Nuktuk!_

_He's the biggest, baddest, bending-ist man I know._

_Who protects the icy tundra? Nuktuk!_

_Battling Northies up there in the snow!_

_When Unalaq starts trouble, he'll punch him in the mouth._

_He's Nuktuk, the hero of the South!_

Bolin knew he should have been watching the screen, too. But he kept catching himself looking at Fuse instead, if only to see her reactions. He watched the way her eyes lit up when he came on screen. The cross frown she got when Ginger was captured. Her silent fury at the evil Unalaq as he threatened to freeze the world with his doomsday device. And when Nuktuk passionately kissed Ginger (ill timed as it was with her strapped on a moving conveyor belt of death), Bolin saw a strange, unreadable expression cross Fuse's face. As if she was seeing something completely new and didn't know quite what to feel. 

They were such honest expressions. So innocent. Almost like a child. The child she hadn't been allowed to be? Yes. That was it, Bolin realized as he drank in the sight. _This is Fuse without her barriers._

The lights came on too soon, making him blink in surprise. The crowd murmured excitedly amongst themselves, some standing and stretching. Varrick was back hammering away on his typewriter. 

_Intermission time already?_ Had he really not noticed how close they were to the finale? No. How could he? He had been watching a completely different show. Bolin felt his ears burn. Had Fuse noticed? 

He blushed even harder when she looked his way. But now was not the time for awkward pauses. He had to say something. "So," he said as he cleared his throat. "What do you think of me so far? I mean--not _me_ me, the me on screen. Nuktuk. The mover." Bolin tried not to sound as awkward he was feeling inside, but he failed miserably.

Fuse humored him with a smile. "It's very exciting. Though I was wondering why Ginger doesn't simply break herself out."

Varrick stopped typing. "Break herself out?" 

Bolin sighed. Varrick never did take criticism well, especially when it came to his "artistic genius."

"Yes," said Fuse. "Instead of sitting around whining and waiting for Nuktuk to save her."

"Well, of course she's whining. She's in distress. Every good story has a damsel in distress."

Fuse raised an eyebrow, "a 'damsel in distress?'" She emphasized the words, as if questioning a foreign concept. To her it probably was, considering how and by whom she was raised. One thing was clear though... she did not agree. 

Bolin touched her shoulder, trying to diffuse the tension before Varrick got himself blown up. "Don't get mad, Fuse. It isn't real."

Fuse crossed her arms. "Even still, when someone threatens me, I don't wait around for someone to save me. I kick their butt." 

Varrick stared at her and Fuse stared back, challenging. Thankfully Fuse didn't unleash her combustion awesomeness on him. Instead, Varrick's face lifted and he laughed hard. "Ha! Wow I like you you're _tenacious!_ Just like my Zhu Li." He gave Bolin a friendly nudge in the shoulder. "Bolin, you should totally marry this one. Sassy little thing like her is just what you need to keep you in line."

Bolin didn't know what to say to that but babbled something like "I... wait--what?"

Fuse was staring at her hands, her face pensive and also a bit shaken. As if the prospect of marriage had never even occurred to her until that moment. 

Varrick was none the wiser. No surprise there, considering he had all the subtlety of a locomotive. "Actually, come to think of it, that's not a bad idea for the mover. What if we bring in another hero, a woman, to fight alongside Nuktuk? Hmm... yeah... I can work with that!"

Something exploded. Bolin flinched at the noise, fearing for a second it was the sound of Varrick's typewriter being blown into a million pieces by Fuse. It wasn't. 

Fuse was already on her feet, jarred out of her seat and into weapon mode. Others in the crowd were joining in, standing, questioning. 

"What the heck was that!" Varrick demanded. Rather than standing, he had somehow managed to throw himself under the seats.

"There." Fuse pointed to the source. Behind them Bolin saw a door to the projector room fly open. A cloud of smoke billowed out along with two staggering, coughing, employees. 

"Well, that doesn't look good... " 

Varrick crawled out from his hiding place and brushed himself off casually as if he hadn't been cowering just a moment ago. "I better go have a look see."

And with that, he was gone. Bolin sat back down. Nothing much else he could do, really. After all, the last time he had tried to help Varrick fix something, they'd ended up blowing up half a train. Fuse eventually followed suit. 

"Don't worry," said Bolin when he saw the concern on her face. "Varrick's a genus with machines. He'll be able to fix it." 

Twenty minutes later, Varrick returned wiping grease from his hands. "Well, the good news is I fixed the projector. The bad news is the film was ruined in the explosion."

Fuse's face fell. "You mean... we can't watch the ending?" 

There was a burst of static in reply as the theater's intercom came on.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen," came the nasally voice of the theater's owner. "I'm afraid due to technical difficulties, I have to cancel the rest of this presentation. Now if you will please exit the theater in an orderly fash--"

Voices rose, cutting him off. Angry Fire Nationers. Not good. Some even started booing "Nuktuk's the worst!" As if the made-up-character was somehow responsible for destroying the film. Seriously, what was wrong with these people? 

Bolin had a sinking feeling. If any an angry fan realized he, the one and only Nuktuk, was there now, the reception would be vastly different. Varrick was one step ahead of him, packing his things. "And that's our cue to exit..."

"Good idea." Bolin turned to Fuse, only to find that she was one of those angry Fire Nationers too. 

"Now wait a minute, Bolin. You can't just leave." 

"Sure, I can. It's easy, see, I'll show you."

Fuse didn't budge. "But you're Nuktuk. Can't you just show us the rest?"

Varrick and Bolin exchanged looks. 

"You mean act out the mover... here?"

"That's a brilliant idea!" Varrick cheered. "A live show! Talk about great publicity!" Varrick sat back down and hastily set back up his typewriter. "Quick, Bolin, go round yourself up some co-stars. That costumed bunch at the front looks like they'll be up to the job. Oh, and find me someone with a nice 'announcing' voice." 

_Oh, brother._ He started to hesitate then caught the excited look in Fuse's eyes and something in him melted. _Well, I did promise to show her one of my adventures._

He made his way to the front row, to the group of costumed fans. _Here goes nothing._ He tapped the other Nuktuk on the shoulder. The guy turned in a flash. "What do you wa--oh, flames. Are you... who I think you are?"

Bolin puffed out his chest. "That's right. And I'm afraid Nuktuk needs your help, citizens."

The fans gasped and exchanged excited glances with each other. The fanboy straightened. "Of course! Anything, Mr. Nuktuk, sir." 

The Nuktuk fanboy looked like he might wet himself, which Bolin dearly hoped he wouldn't considering what he was about to ask.


	30. Empress Fusa

Izumi stirred in her sleep. It was strange; for the past few nights, she had actually been sleeping well. Now, as she tossed and turned, all she could do was worry about her father. 

To help ease her mind, she sat up and walked over to her messenger hawk's perch by the window. The bird was resting, but only lightly, and he cooed at Izumi's touch. 

"There now," she said softly. "I have something for you."

He cocked his head as she flicked on a lamp and jotted down a note to her father. Another plea to see reason, to play things safe and come back to the palace. She tucked the message into the bird's carrier, fastened it tightly, and sent him off. 

She watched the skies for a long while after the bird had disappeared into the night. 

Why did she have to send notes like this at all? Couldn't he just be sensible for once? Why did she always have to be the one to explain to him when some drastic action was needed? Even when she was a child...

Izumi's thoughts slipped back to a time she'd almost forgotten. 

_She was ten years old. Only a couple years younger than Avatar Aang had been when he was first told he was the Avatar. Her power over bloodbending had increased dramatically since she had first learned of it. Nothing, still, compared to her father's skill, but enough to give her the confidence that if she ever had to use it, she could._

_"I want to see my grandfather," she announced at breakfast one morning. Her father looked ill. The servants exchanged worried glances and quickly exited the dining hall with no need for a direct command._

_"Izumi," her father said firmly. "We've discussed this before. And I told you--"_

_"You told me than when I was older... more mature, I think your words were, that I could see him." She straightened in her chair. She was still a bit short for her age, and the chair's oversized back didn't do much to downplay that. "Well, I'm ten years old now. It's time for me to know where I came from."_

_Her father massaged his temples. "Believe me, my little firebird, I understand better than you know about wanting to make peace with family. But Ozai isn't like your aunt. He never showed any remorse or hesitation for the crimes he committed. His sole purpose right now is to try to make our lives as difficult as possible." He reached over and took a sip from a glass of lime juice. He had that calm look on his face like he just knew that his orders would be obeyed without question. Izumi wasn't in the mood to take it today._

_"If you don't let me know, I'll find a way in there myself," she threatened. It was an empty threat. She felt okay about the idea of using her bloodbending to defend herself, but she wasn't about to use it to manipulate people to get what she wanted. Her father probably knew that, too._

_"Oh, you will, will you?" he said, not putting the glass down._

_"Yes," she said, much more confident than she felt._

_Her father sighed and shook his head. "I suppose I can't put this off forever. Very well, then. But if there are any issues, we're leaving straight away. Is that understood?"_

_Izumi nodded. "Yes."_

_Moments later, father and daughter descended the forbidden set of stairs to the dungeons. Zuko carried a tray of tea with fragile china cups that tinkled against each other like a miniature set of chimes. Izumi cocked her head curiously at the offering, but said nothing about it._

_The dungeons weren't as creepy as she expected them to be. Maybe she had spent so much time building them up in her mind that reality couldn't hope to compete. The walls were stone, but solid and dry. There were no creepy, flickering torches, but perfectly functional electric lights._

_Her grandfather sat in his cell, his hair long, but well-trimmed. He sat with his back to the bars of his cell. If heard his visitors approach, he did nothing to show it until they stood only a few feet away._

_"I know it's you, Zuko." His voice was raw and raspy with disuse. "No one else comes down here. Not even your sister. She used to talk to me all the time. Now she doesn't even have a word for me. Isn't that sad?"_

_Izumi's watched her father's face carefully as he set down the tray of tea. "Your granddaughter wanted to meet you."_

_"Oh, did she now?" At this, Ozai finally turned and faced them. Izumi ordered her heart to slow down. This man would not scare her. She was the Fire Nation princess. He was some helpless old man in a cell. No matter what power he used to have, he didn't have it anymore._

_Of course, a quick glance at the scar on her father's face reminded her of just how great Ozai's power used to be._

_"I've heard of you," Ozai said to Izumi. "The guards aren't quiet. Not as quiet as they need to be if they want to keep me ignorant. The Fire Nation crown princess. A nonbender."_

_He spat at her. She should have seen in coming, but she had been so focused on trying to stay calm, she hadn't had anymore attention to give. Most of the spittle landed on her glasses, which she instinctually removed as she stepped back._

_She wiped the lenses against her sleeve while her father took a protective step in front of her._

_"You dare treat my daughter like that, you--"_

_"What? Lowlife? Ungrateful horse-pig? Let's be blunt, Zuko, you aren't very creative with insults, and I've heard them all a dozen times over. Let's just accept that you're angry at me and still too much of a coward to do anything about it."_

_Izumi stepped out from behind her father's protective stance and put her more-or-less cleaned glasses back on._

_"You should watch how you speak," she said firmly._

_"Really? 'Watch how I speak'? So, Zuko, your daughter not only lacks bending abilities, but also any sense of originality."_

_His wry smile contorted into a fierce glare as his gaze went from Zuko to Izumi._

_"Do you know what happened when I thought your father had no bending? I ordered him thrown out of the palace. It was only your grandmother's begging and pleading, and my brush with a whim of mercy that sparred his life. A powerful nation needs a powerful leader. Your kind is nothing but a race of parasites... you will be a leech on all that your accentors have built. The Fire Nation will fall under you." He lowered his head as if he would genuinely sob over the loss. She saw no tears when he lifted his face again, however. His eyes were no longer on her, but back on his son. On the scar he'd left there so many years ago._

_"But it's my fault... I was too soft. I let this disease grow in our family. I should have burnt it out... turned it to ash before it could flourish."_

_"That's enough out of you!" Zuko snapped. He didn't stand in front of Izumi or take her hand his time. Maybe he was afraid of his anger. Maybe he needed all his strength to keep it in check._

_Bloodbend him, Izumi thought to herself. Show him who's really weak._

_But he never would, and she knew it._

_"You may insult me all your like, but you'll leave my daughter alone," said Zuko. "Let's go, Izumi." He started to walk away, but Izumi didn't follow._

_"Just wait a minute," she said. "If I let you protect me, doesn't that just prove his point? I want to be able to stand up to him. Let me have a few minutes by myself."_

_"Izumi, I--" Zuko tried to object, but Izumi could tell that she'd won. Her words hit too close. He'd come down here himself so many times to face this man. He couldn't deny her the same opportunity._

_"Call for a guard immediately if you have any problems."_

_She nodded and hesitantly, her father walked up the stairs. She listened until his footsteps could no longer be heard. Ozai sneered._

_"You know, problems are more than just physical. Mental... emotional strife can be just as deadly. A seed of doubt takes root in your mind and tears you apart. Maybe that will be the Fire Nation's salvation. The new Firelord takes her own life when the pressure of ruling such a powerful nation becomes too much for--"_

_He stopped speaking. Choked on his last words, actually. Izumi held her hand forward, ordering his throat to tighten, his lungs to take in less air._

_"Let's get things straight," she whispered. "I don't doubt myself. You do. Because even though you had as much power as you dreamed of, you still couldn't use it to defeat my father or the Avatar. You've been sitting in this pit for decades wondering again and again how you failed, what you missed. But the answer to your question is obvious. You're weak, and we're strong. You lost because you deserved it." With a motion, she sent him hurling against the back wall. He grunted in pain, but at the same time greedily gulped in huge breaths of air that he'd been denied._

_"You're alive at our whim; never forget that," Izumi said. "And know that no matter how Father feels about you, I will never forgive what you did to him."_

_He didn't answer, and she didn't wait for him to. Her heart pounded as she rushed back up the stairs. Ozai died less than a week later. She never found out why._

\----

When the Nuktuk fanboy approached, Fuse almost didn't recognize him, dressed as he was (rather sloppily) in Bolin's formal wear. "You must be the pretty lady." 

Fuse cocked her head. "Pardon?" 

The boy shifted, cleared his throat, then looked to Varrick. "Mr. Nuktuk told me to talk to the 'the guy next to that pretty lady over there.' He said you need my voice? Or something?" 

"Ah, yes. Have a seat." 

Up front, Bolin's costumed fans were busy moving around props. Fuse was impressed. They actually had some decent arctic scenery thanks to the popular classic "The Boy in the Iceberg" from when this room was used for actual stage performances and not just movers. When the "scene" was set, Varrick gave the cue, and the Nuktuk fanboy cleared his throat and called loudly, "Attention, ladies and gentlemen! I have a special announcement... which is being handed to me now..." He paused, taking the improvised "script" from Varrick fresh out of the typewriter, and waited until the room quieted. "It seems we're in for a treat today, folks. A special once-in-a-lifetime live performance featuring none other than Nuktuk himself!" 

He gestured to the stage, and his friends began singing the Nuktuk theme song. Their enthusiasm was contagious and soon the entire theater was singing, too. 

Bolin entered dressed in the fanboy's Nuktuk costume. He waved to the crowd and posed, evoking cheers and exclamations. 

"When last we left Nuktuk, he was trapped in the evil clutches of Unalaq's pet bird," the boy continued reading. On stage, Bolin did his best "captured" impression as one of the fans hoisted him up with a weighted stunt pulley and made bird calls. 

All in all, they managed a good performance. Bolin was a natural on stage (and not half bad looking with all his muscles showing), as he "waterbent" his enemies into submission with blue ribbons. He couldn't have asked for better co-stars either. This group had not just seen the mover but memorized it line for line. And the thrill of working with Nuktuk only added to their acting enthusiasm. 

Even with the makeshift set and fake water ribbons, Fuse still shed a few tears when "Juji" died and cheered when Unalaq was defeated. She even felt a spark of unexpected irritation when the girl playing Ginger threw herself into Bolin's arms and squealed "My hero!" Bolin was a gentlemen about it though, only kissing her on the cheek rather than on the lips like in the film. 

It was too good to last. A door at the back slammed open making way for a wiry, hook-nosed man with a stuck-up expression and two of the biggest brutes Fuse had ever seen. 

"What is the meaning of this?" the thin man yowled in a voice that sounded more teenage-girl than grown-man. The same voice, Fuse noted, that had blared over the intercom. "I thought I told you people that the show was canceled."

Bolin stepped forward. "You said the mover was canceled. This is live. Obviously not the same thing, so..."

He narrowed flinty eyes at Bolin. "Just who you do you think you are?"

To Fuse's delight, and the owner's irritation, the entire crowd sang out in reply, "He's Nuktuk! The Hero of the South!" 

The man sniffed, turning up his nose with distain. Clearly, he had seen many a costumed enthusiast claim the same and was not impressed. "Well, 'Nuktuk,' this is my theater and there are no free shows here. Period."

Again, practically on cue, the crowd acted, booing and hissing as if this man was not the rightful proprietor of the theater, but an evil villain, come to challenge Nuktuk. 

Varrick thought so, too. The only difference was he had access to a typewriter. The fanboy read the new material, his voice carrying over the riled crowd. "Oh, no! But what's this? Looks like Unalaq isn't the only threat facing our hero. Behold, the evil Pennypincher and his thugs!" 

That did it. The theater owner hand-gestured towards the stage. "Boys, show the young man out. Now!" 

The thugs advanced, charging towards the stage like twin trains. The crowd booed. Bolin looked about uneasily as his co-stars scattered. Fuse was moving, too--the weapon in her sprung by old instincts and the fear on Bolin's face. 

"No, seriously, I'm Nuktuk. Look!" Bolin tried to strike a few battle poses but only ended up stumbling over the bag of rocks used to counterbalance the stunt pulley. The thugs climbed the stage. Advanced some more. Bolin was in an earthbending stance trying to pull rocks from the bag to defend himself. But he wasn't fast enough. One readied a fireball and aimed it for Bolin's head. 

It did not strike him. Instead, the fire twisted around Fuse's fingers as she shifted stances, turned, and re-directed it harmlessly aside. 

"Back away," she said glaring daggers up at the two men. "I will not give another warning."

Somewhere in the distance she heard a room full of gasps and a low _oooooo_ sound. Then a voice spoke. "But what's this? A mysterious woman has come to Nuktuk's aid!"

The audience. She had forgotten about the audience! That was why Bolin had reacted so slowly. He couldn't risk using lavabending on a flammable wooden stage in a room full of people. And that meant she couldn't use combustionbending, either. 

Bolin didn't seem worried about this. In fact, he seemed more interested in addressing the crowd. "Wha--? Oh, yes. Yes. Behold my new partner, Lady... No, Empress Fusa, who hails from the Fire Nation." 

_Empress what?_ Against her better judgment, Fuse took her eyes off the thugs just long enough to shoot Bolin a wary look.

"Just play along. They'll love it," he whispered. Then cleared his throat and projected his voice. "It's good to see you again, my friend. You have perfect timing, as always."

That was her cue to say something. But what? She shot a look to the crowd. They were waiting expectantly. She could see Varrick in his reserved row motioning encouragement with his hands. The theater owner looked in a froth, too stunned and angry to speak. His thugs just looked lost. Wondering, perhaps like her, how this fight had suddenly become a performance piece. If she was going to "play along," now was as good a time as any. 

Fuse straightened, exhaled, and stuck out her chin. Bolin had given her a royal role. And she had only one example of royalty to follow. "Yes," she said, pushing her tiara up on her head with her index finger. "You know, Nuktuk, you really need to stop making so many enemies." 

The audience laughed. Actually laughed. Flames, was it really that easy? 

The sound seemed to bring the theater owner out of his daze. He stormed towards the stage yelling at the thugs. "Don't just stand there gawking, you idiots! Get them!"

Bolin advanced a step so he and Fuse were standing shoulder to shoulder. Then he took an earthbending stance. Fuse shifted into a defensive posture beside him to deflect any incoming fire. 

"Try all you like, Pennypincher. You're not the only one with firepower!" 

Fuse's stomach tightened. "Um... " she hesitated. "I can't actually create fire." 

Bolin was shocked by this." What do you mean you can't create fire? You're a firebender, aren't you?" He asked, a bit too loudly even for him. 

The thugs chuckled. Fuse sucked in a breath. Tried to answer without sounding bitter. "Yes, but that power was blocked--" she began, only to realize, again, there was still a room full of people watching. Flames.Okay. Don't panic. She tried to think. _Varrick said he still needed a plot for this mover. And don't some of the best stories have fragments of truth?_

"Blocked?" questioned Bolin. 

She stared again. "Yes. By my mast--" No. No way was she going to glorify that man. "My sifu." She looked towards the crowd, lifting her voice so it carried. "For you see, I am being trained in the deadly art of the... seven secrets."

"Seven secrets?" Bolin asked. He was back in the act now, emphasizing the query with his dramatic flare. "Why seven?"

"One for each chakra. Sifu will not return my firebending until I master all seven... and discover who I truly am."

The crowed was enamored. Varrick was typing furiously. The thugs advanced again, one circling around to flank them so that she and Bolin were forced to squeeze in back to back. 

"Know any secrets for getting us out of this mess?" Bolin prompted, 

"Only one." Fuse reached up and lifted the tiara from her head exposing her combustion bending tattoo. "Secret of Foresight." 

The audience clapped. One of the thugs tensed and stepped back. 

"Holy crap, she's--"

His companion whacked him on the shoulder. "Relax. It's just a costume." He shot a fireball. Fuse shifted aside in front of Bolin, catching and re-directing, before moving again. The instant she was clear of him Bolin sent a rock flying. The thug brought up a meaty arm, deflecting the rock like it was a biting insect. "That all you got, hero?" he barked. 

"Not even close," said Bolin. A dozen smaller rocks, the ones Bolin had scattered by the brute's feet while he was distracted, now moved simultaneously like shifting sand. The thug's foot slid out forward, to quickly for him to control, and he toppled backwards. The entire stage resonated with a huge "thu-dunk" as he landed flat on his back. 

"Bet he'll feel that tomorrow," said Fuse, provoking chuckles from the crowd. 

His pal lumbered forward, emboldened by fury. Fuse met him halfway, dodging a huge fist purposefully at the last second. Then another. It wasn't hard. She had fought his kind before. Powerful but no fitness whatsoever. Each miss only made him that much clumsier, and her dodges more graceful. After his third swing she shifted stances and landed a knee right in his gut. 

He was tougher then she expected. He only staggered back a pace before pulling up his fists again. 

"I recommend you stop now, before you get hurt."

The thug reddened. Charged again. 

Fuse sighed. "I did issue a warning." This time when he came at her, she caught him by the arm. Then, using his own momentum, she shifted, turned, and re-directed the big man like she had his buddy's fire. He staggered out of control, slamming right into his pal, who had just managed to get to his feet. The two fell together, toppled off the stage and right onto their stunned employer. 

The audience clapped. Then cheered when Bolin came over and gave her a high-five then handed back her tiara. 

"Nice moves," he spoke louder than necessary, and Fuse realized he was talking for the audience's sake again. To them, this was still a performance, and they were overdue for some clever plot-advancing dialogue. 

"I may be in training, but I still have a duty to protect the people of my nation," Fuse said, settling the tiara primly back on her head. 

Bolin took her cue, puffing up his chest and announcing dramatically. "Well, you won't have to do it alone! Wherever there is evil threatening innocent people, you can count on Nuktuk to help!"

The Nuktuk fanboy announcer's voice blared, "Let's hear it for Nuktuk, hero of the Fire Nation!"

Bolin pulled Fuse to his side so they stood shoulder to shoulder, and the two battle posed stirring the crowed into a standing ovation.


	31. Tenna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just FYI, December is kind of an insane month for us. So rather than try to push out rushed chapters of this fic, we’re taking the month off to catch up.
> 
> We do have one holiday-themed Avatar fanfic we'll post a little later in the month, and then we’ll resume our regular schedule in January. As always, if you want to read a chapter ahead, feel free to check out our blog: fanfiction.katrinasforest.com
> 
> (Tom-Tom finally confronts Zuko in the next chapter.) Have a great holiday, everyone!
> 
> -Rowan & Katrina

Thankfully Varrick was able to smooth things over at the theater. "Pennypincher" might not have actually been a villain, but he was greedy. By the time Bolin and the fanboy came back from re-exchanging outfits, the owner had a fat wad of money for his troubles and Varrick was the proud owner of a Fire Nation theater. 

They went to dinner afterward at the little noodle shop Bolin liked so much. Fuse and Bolin tried to decline of course, considering Varrick had probably just saved them a very awkward conversation with the police. But he had insisted in his own Varricky way that treating them to dinner was the least he could do after all the free promotional work they had just done. Plus, it would give Fuse a chance to meet Zhu Li and let all of them 'talk shop.'

To quote Varrick, movers didn't just make themselves, after all.

Zhu Li, Varrick's wife, met them there. She was an observant woman, Fuse could tell right away. Judging from the smile on her face, she already knew exactly how Varrick's quest for inspiration had gone. Nevertheless, Varrick and Bolin told her the whole story over the course of the meal. Dinner was all-you-can-eat, which was great since the skirmish had worked up both Fuse and Bolin's appetites. Varrick even had several bottles of imported Earth Kingdom wine brought over to celebrate. 

Fuse had never had wine. Not even on field missions. Alcohol was forbidden to weapons with good reason. She wouldn't be much use in combat if she couldn't aim straight. But that was before, under Master Jerkface's rules, and she was no longer his tool. And anyway, tonight was special, so she tried some. It burned like fire going down, but had a pleasant taste afterward. And the more she drank, the tastier it got. 

"It will be a few months before filming can start," Varrick told them. "I need time to get word to some investors. Then there's set up. I'm thinking we'll do the filming out here. Better scenery. Plus, I'll need to get access to some dragons." 

"Hey, did you hear that, Fuse?" Bolin gave her tipsy smile, "Varrick shays he needs someone to handle dragons for him." He was trying, and failing, to twirl the same bit of pasta onto his fork that he had been ten minutes ago. He had just about succeeded, too, until he pointed his fork at her and declared, "You could totally do that!" The noodles slipped off, this time splattering to the floor, which made the two of them snicker. 

"Fantastic! A woman of many talents. That will defiantly make things easier once filming starts." 

Fuse blinked. Had she heard correctly? Or was the wine making her head fuzzy? "You... want me to work for you?" 

"Well, of course. Who else am I going to get to play Fusa, but Fusa?" 

"Buh... I don't know anyfing about acting."

"Bolin didn't know anything about acting either... and look how he turned out!" Varrick nodded to Bolin, who was busy looking in the bread basket for a roll he was already holding in his other hand. "You'll be fine. Plus, I'm sure Bolin will give you plenty of lessons, am I right?" He winked in Bolin's direction just as he took a bite of the roll, nearly causing him to choke. 

This again. What was it about Varrick's implications that made Bolin so nervous? They seemed to refer to her somehow. Should she be feeling awkward, too? What was she not understanding?

Zhu Li shook her head. "Varrick, don't embarrass them." 

"I'm not--" Fuse began, only to realize a second later that her face was flushed. Perhaps it was time to change the subject. "What I mean is--that's not my only worry." She struggled to find the right words, something vague enough to get her point across without blurting out her entire history to these people. "I've done things I'm not proud of. In the past..." 

"Join the club, sister," Varrick grinned. "I once hired men to kidnap the president of Republic City to try and start a civil war between the Water Tribes. Would have gotten away with it too... if it weren't for you meddling kids." He chuckled in Bolin's direction. "I got tossed in jail and everything. I won't lie, it was the hardest six hours of my life." 

"Um," said Zhu Li. "your 'cell' had a private bathroom, a fully stocked kitchen, and a four-poster bed, dear." 

Varrick sipped his wine. "Yep, those were dark times. But they taught me a valuable lesson."

"Oo... ooo, I know!" Bolin piped up. "Never kidnap the president." 

"No. Well, yes. But also, when life gives you an opportunity, sometimes you just gotta reach out and take it." 

When dinner was over and they had said their goodbyes to Varrick and Zhu Le, Fuse led a slightly staggering Bolin in the direction of the hotel he and his brother were staying at. Varrick's wine had mellowed both of them significantly and they leaned into each other, singing the Nuktuk theme song and laughing each time they got out of sync. Halfway there, they stopped at in a lantern-lit plaza to catch their breath and admire the fountain which sparkled orange in the lamplight. It reminded her of the sunset they had watched from atop Flare's shoulders. The day she had decided to truly embrace her freedom and leave her past, and her master, behind. Only she hadn't. Not entirely. There was still one trace of him and that place left. 

"Bolin, I need to ask you a favor." 

"What's that?"

"Help me pick out a name. A real name."

His expression shifted--surprise and confusion mixed with warm gratitude. "Okay... but what brought this on all of a sudden?" 

"When you first rescued me and brought me to the Fire Palace, I didn't know what to expect. Once my sentence was over... what was I going to do with myself? I have nothing. No family. No home. No dreams. I didn't know how to act like a normal person, let alone live like one." She met his eyes. "But that's all changed now. For the first time in my life, I actually have a chance for a future. A real future with friends, a career, a home. Maybe even... " She felt herself hesitate nervously. "...maybe even a family someday. You helped me become a new woman, Bolin. I want you to help me name her." 

Bolin smiled, even blinked away a few tears. Perhaps she shouldn't have put this kind of pressure on him. "Let's see..." he said, visually turning over ideas in his mind. "There's my mom's name, Naoki. No, too awkward. Or my grandma's name, Yin. No, even more awkward... well...hmmm... Oh, I got an idea. If you could pick one word to best describe you, what would it be?" 

Good question. Fuse tried to focus. But her head was still muddled from wine. In the end she could only think of one word. The word Varrick had used. "Tenacious." 

"Tenacious?" Bolin asked, a bit surprised. 

"You don't like it?" 

"Oh, no, I didn't mean-- I do like it. It's fierce, and so are you. don't get me wrong, but... there's more to you than that. You've got a softer side, too." 

Fuse nodded, unable to deny he was right. 

Bolin scratched his chin, concentrating as hard as the wine would let him. After a time he snapped his fingers and grinned. "Tenna." 

"Tenna?" 

"Yeah. It's 'tenacious'... but softer. And it's pretty... like you." 

_Tenna_. She mulled over the name. It was everything Bolin said. And it was different, as she was. She felt a rush of warmth in her chest. A happy pride she had never felt. She leaned into Bolin and wrapped her arms around him so fiercely, they nearly toppled backwards into the fountain. "I love it!" 

\----

Mako stared out the smudged hotel window, blurred with the lights from the street. He saw Bolin and Fuse coming from a while off; it wasn't like they were easy to miss. Lots of couples were walking past the hotel, but those two... Bolin had a certain openness about him that few other guys had. Whenever Mako had tried dating anything, he got stiff and nervous. Bolin was just himself... casual, having a good time. He had a certain glow to him right now, too. Mako had no doubts about it; his kid brother was infatuated with this combustionbender. And that meant the only thing for Mako to do was to let her know just how little he would stand for someone breaking Bolin's heart. Again. 

The two of them were standing outside the door now. They were out of Mako's view, or at least, if he tried any harder to get a view, they would most definitely see him. He looked the door over. It was closed, but it had a mail slot on it. Detective skills at work, there. He knelt down on his knees, leaning into the metal framing of the slot, and focused on their voices. 

"...guess, I'd better go," Bolin was saying. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Mmm," Fuse answered. Her voice was softer, harder to catch. "Good night, Bolin."

"Good night." 

Did they kiss? Mako had his face against the door so hard right now, the edge of the mail slot was probably making an imprint on his face. He didn't hear kissing, but he did hear the distinct sound of the key being slipped into the lock. Blast it, they weren't supposed to stop talking that quickly. He jolted up, smacking his shoulder on the door handle, and jumping back onto the bed before the door swung open. He thought about faking being asleep, and settled instead on looking really interested in the hotel's room service menu. 

His eyes went straight to the doorway as soon as Bolin opened it. 

His brother looked surprised, as if he'd forgotten anyone was in this room besides him. "Oh, hey, bro," he said. 

Mako stood up. "Hey." He glanced between Bolin and Fuse. Her nose was red. Were they... drinking? Mako approached the doorway, eyes narrowed. He'd started off a little unsure if he should be having this talk, but now he had no more doubts. 

If Fuse was intoxicated, it wasn't enough to stop her powers of observation. She narrowed her eyes right back at him. 

"I'm just gonna... step outside for a minute," Mako said over her shoulder. 

"Huh? Oh, okay," Bolin replied, head already on the pillow. Mako stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him. He didn't take his eyes off Fuse for a second, something she noted right away despite her inebriation. 

"Okay, you obvishly want to talk," she said with a little slur, after a moment's silence. "Sho what's your problem, exactly?"

Mako's face burned. "My problem 'exactly' is you. You think I don't see what's going on between you and my brother?"

She stiffened at this. Surprise at the suggestion? Couldn't be. Probably just surprise that Mako had caught onto her so fast. "We're friends," she finally said. 

"Really?" Mako asked, one eyebrow raised. "Because it looked like an awful lot more than that."

At this, much more than her nose went red. Her whole face flooded like an instant sunburn. For a second, her eyes darted away from Mako, and he genuinely couldn't tell if she was angry or embarrassed. Maybe a bit of both? Either way, she quickly regained her composure, and her face shot back up at him. "Sho what? I'm not allowed to see him anymore because you said sho?"

 _I wouldn't mind that, actually._ "Listen, Fuse--"

She reached up and poked him in the chest. Her voice came out in a furious, drunken, hiss. "No, you listen! I've shpent too many years being ordered around, and I refuse to do it anymore. Oh, and my name ishn't Fuse anymore. It's Tenna."

"Tenna?" Mako had no clue how to take that. But it wasn't like that made Fuse a different person. "You... picked a new name?" 

She lowered her hand, her voice a bit calmer now, but only just. She spoke slower, too, taking extra care to annunciate properly. "Your brother helped me pick it. Just like he's been helping me discover who I really am. Bolin knows I'd never hurt him. That I'm not just some tool anymore. So does Korra. Flames, even the Firelord trusts me."

Considering how little Mako trusted the Firelord now, he didn't exactly take that last one as a welcome endorsement. But Korra had a good head on her shoulders... 

"Maybe... you have changed," he allowed. "But Bolin hasn't. He's impulsive and naïve and always gets into these relationships too quickly and ends up heartbroken in the end. The last time nearly destroyed him. I won't let it happen again."

"Oh, right," said Fuse... Tenna... with a roll of her eyes. "So because you don't trust me, I must be a heartbreaker, too. I guess you'd know best, seeing as how you broke up with Korra and Asami. Twice."

 _How in flames did she know about that?_ Apparently Korra and "Tenna" were even better friends than he thought. Was he the only one left in the group who still employed some healthy skepticism? "I think it's time you leave," he said

"Fine." Tenna started towards the street, but then twirled back to stare Mako down one last time. "I don't care if you don't like me. But you have no right to judge me, Mako. Not for my past. And not for this."

Mako watched her storm off feeling a strange mix of satisfaction that he had made his point and nagging uncertainty. What had she meant by that? The detective in him wondered. What had she and Bolin been talking about these past few weeks? 

Mako shook his head. It didn't matter. Fuse... Tenna... was still dangerous. Too dangerous for his little brother. 

Bolin was passed out on the bed in his evening clothes and snoring by the time Mako went inside. Typical Bolin. Growing up, even in the bad times, his little brother could always sleep like a baby no matter where they were. Mako had made sure he could. He had always made sure that Bolin was safe above all else. 

_It's the same now,_ he told himself. _Nothing's changed._

Only that wasn't true. Things had changed. His 'little' brother was old enough to go out and drink. To have his own career, his own friends... and, yes, even his own relationships... regardless of Mako's feelings on the matter. Mako knew deep down...at some point, he had to trust Bolin to make his own decisions. 

He draped a blanket over his brother and shook his head lightly when Bolin smiled and mumbled something incoherent about Tenna looking pretty. 

_I will trust him._ Mako promised himself. _Just not this time. Not with her._


	32. Tom-Tom's Grudge

_The nerve of him..._ Tenna fumed. _The absolute nerve!_ Mako's words were still roaring through her head triggering the start of what was going to be one heck of a migraine later. Or maybe that was just from the wine. She wasn't sure and didn't really care either. She was too busy being furious to care. 

_He's lucky Bolin is his brother. Otherwise... otherwise... I would have blown him straight to the moon._

Okay, maybe nothing quite that drastic, but she would have done something. Maybe punched that bossy scowl off his face? Yes. In a crowd.. no...in front of General Iroh and his troops so everyone could see. That would teach him some respect. 

She stomped on, mentally playing out Mako's theoretical butt-kicking. She would have stomped all the way back to the palace if she could. But the capital was large and foreign to her, and after circling the same block twice, Tenna finally had to force herself to calm down enough to ask one of the local street guards for directions. 

The moon was halfway across the sky by the time she was finally back on palace grounds. The Fire Palace looked eerily empty at night. No surprise really. The only ones up at this hour, aside from, well, her, were the nightshift guards that got to sleep during the day. Tenna could just imagine the snarky comments she was going to get when she came strolling into the barracks... all fancy in her dress, and pompom boots, and tiara. She probably reeked of wine too, which wouldn't help either. 

A horrible thought struck her. What if the guards snitched on her to Griff? Or Firelord Izumi for that matter? She'd be punished for sure. 

Well then, only one way to avoid that. And that was to dodge the guards altogether and slip into her bed right under their noses. No easy task. To do it, Tenna would have to become a weapon again. Just for a little while. Not to hurt anyone, of course. Just to use some of those honed sneaking-about skills. It would be faster if she cut directly through the palace, instead of going around the long way to the barracks. 

Only a few stray window lamps were still lit in the palace itself. Tenna made for the closest lighted one, a room on the top floor. Because thumping her way through a strange room in the dark would just wake up whomever was staying there. And she didn't want that. There was a risk of the room's occupant spotting her of course, but if that happened... she'd just put on an act like she had at the theatre. Something tearful. With Mako being an insensitive jerk, perhaps? Yes. That would do fine.

Tenna didn't expect the climb to the third floor balcony would be that hard. But for some reason, the wine maybe, it was. By the time she finally reached the balcony her headache had escalated into a full-out migraine and she was drenched in sweat.

On the good side, the room she had chosen to sneak through was actually more like a suite. The room with the lit lantern was a study area. Along one wall there was a finely carved antique desk, several ornate bookcases stocked to the brim with volumes, and several comfy looking, padded chairs. Along the other wall was a fancy couch and a table strewn with more books and a tray of tea. Not a bad setup, actually. Whoever was staying here must have been important. Best do her sneaking quickly and not bother them. 

Lucky for Tenna, the guest was nowhere to be seen. 

_Probably in the bedroom._ Tenna noted the large doors across the room. One was only just slightly ajar. Silent as a meadow vole, Tenna crept through the window and tiptoed towards the exit. Easy as can be. Until she banged her hip into the end table she hadn't noticed in her scouting and nearly sent a framed picture crashing to the floor. She caught it just in time, lost her grip, caught it again and hastily replaced it on the table. It was a family picture. A father, mother and two kids, one boy and one girl. The man had his arm lovingly around his wife. Tenna could tell from his face that he had a kindly disposition. Much like her own father. 

_My father?_ Pain flared, seemingly out of nowhere. Tenna bit her lip focusing on the picture to try and force away tears. The kids were far apart in age, at least a decade or so. The boy was maybe fourteen in the photo. He looked like a polite young man, standing there quietly beside his parents with only just the vaguest hint of a smile. The girl on the other hand had a grin out to her ears. A true spotlight grabber, that one, even in diapers. 

_I bet their mother is proud._ Tenna's eyes flicked up to the mother in the picture and widened. Was that...? 

Footsteps sounded somewhere behind her, to close to avoid. Flames, her reflexes were crap tonight. She started to bolt towards the exit. Someone grabbed her. And not the way she was expecting they might. This was an invisible grab over her entire body. 

She made a little squeaking noise as she watched her own feet rise from the floor. 

_Bloodbending? Here?_ Tenna was whipped around to face her attacker and she was startled to see Firelord Izumi standing there. Izumi was startled, too. Her grip slackened, lowering Tenna to the floor. 

"Fuse?" she asked. And it took Tenna a second to remember that "Fuse" had been her old name. "What are you doing?" 

"I uh...got lost." Not exactly true, but not exactly a lie either. 

Tenna could see Izumi studying her, making note of her outfit, her disheveled appearance, and the late hour. For a second her eyes even flitted to the door, wondering, perhaps, why her guards would have allowed Tenna to come barging passed them at this time of night. Then she raised an eyebrow. 

"How _did_ you get in here?"

That was an easy one, at least. "Oh, through the window, milady."

Izumi's mouth opened a little. "I'm on the third floor..." 

"Yeah, I know. I climbed two floors to get here."

"You climbed two floors to..." Izumi trailed, seeming to realize something. "Are you drunk, Fuse?" 

Odd, Izumi didn't sound angry. Or even annoyed for that matter. She looked tired though. Tenna could see bags under her eyes and the kind of strain that could only come from anxiety and sleep deprivation. "I am," Tenna said, deciding Izumi was probably in no mood to deal with the excuses she was originally going to use. She smiled a drunken smile. "Or at least I hope I am. Otherwise milady should really get some new floors. These are a bit...uneven." 

Fuse wobbled backwards and sat down on the couch She was startled when she sank into it. Leave it to the Firelord to have the comfiest couch ever. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes halfway as her head pounded. 

"So. Now you know my reason for being up at this hour. What's yours?" 

Flames that came out rude. Oh well. To late to take it back now. 

Izumi's mouth quirked and she inched up her glasses with her index finger. "Official Firelord business. Nothing to concern yourself with." 

Tenna snorted. She couldn't help it. "Come on now. I'm drunk not stupid. It's obvious you're worried about something." She opened one eye, searching Izumi's face for clues. The Firelord was busy carefully readjusting the photo on the end table. "Is it... about what's going to happen with Sunport? About your son going into battle..." The Firelord didn't need to answer. Even intoxicated, Tenna could see the answer as plain as day across Izumi's face. "Don't be ashamed. You want to keep him safe. That's what mothers are supposed to do. Protect their kids." 

Tenna felt her chest tighten, remembering Izumi's happy family portrait. She had had a family too, once. Pain blazed through Tenna's head, forcing her to close her eyes. 

"My mother was killed trying to protect me when the bandits came. Grammy too." She swallowed hard. Something told her she shouldn't be talking about this. About before... Or maybe it was just the wine. 

"They were fierce firebenders, Mom and Grammy. They learned how from dragons since Grammy used to raise hatchlings at her wildlife sanctuary. Even Dad tried to fight, when the bandits found where we were hiding. He wasn't a bender but he knew herbs better then anyone. He hit three of the bandits with stun-powder. But they were too strong. They took me from him... dragged me outside... and burned my home to the ground with my Dad inside. Then the bandits threw me in a crate and a woman took me to start my training at the facility. I haven't seen my home since. If there's even anything left."

Tenna's head was raw agony but she forced her eyes open. Izumi had taken a seat in one of the chairs. She looked a little pale. 

"How long ago... was this?" she asked. 

"I was seven, so..." Tenna had to concentrate to make calculations over her headache. "Almost twenty years ago."

Twenty years. The number echoed in her mind, That meant she had been a weapon almost as long as she had been alive. The room spun. Tenna let herself slump to her side, let the couch enfold her in its comfort. She was so dizzy all of a sudden...

"You want to know the really messed up part?" she asked, not waiting for an answer. "My family died trying to protect me... and I don't even remember what they looked like." She tucked her head to her chest, snuggling her cheek into the velvety fabric, which was damp for some reason. Eventually the room did stop spinning just long enough for her to fall asleep. 

\----

Zuko was reading a rather interesting book when he heard a knock at the door. The book was part of a trilogy entitled, "The Maze Benders," and although he had quite enjoyed the first novel in the series, he did wonder by midway through the second installment where the plot was going. He set the book down on the table and went to answer the door. His body moved easily, almost as if he floated through his steps. A full moon tonight. No matter how skilled at bloodbending he became, he could still feel the phases of the moon and their effect on his body. 

He pulled open the door, expecting it to be one of his servants with some sort of change in his schedule tomorrow. He certainly didn't expect to see family. 

"Tom-Tom?" he asked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. But no, it was Tom-Tom. In case Zuko had any doubts, the irritated look on the man's face at the mention of his childhood nickname confirmed it. 

Zuko stepped back to allow his brother-in-law into the room. It wasn't exactly a huge space, but the citizens of Ember Island had decorated the space with masks from all of Zuko's favorite old plays. Tom-Tom walked forward quickly, as if there'd been a chill in the air outside he was rushing to get out of. Strangely enough, however, he did not walk far enough to actually close the door behind himself. Zuko thought he spotted some movement behind Tom-Tom, but in the darkness of the surrounding night, it was difficult to tell. 

"Well, it's good to see you," Zuko said. "How long has it been? I don't think you've visited me in decades. Can I get you some tea?"

He motioned toward the table where a hot teapot was already waiting, but still Tom-Tom didn't move. Perhaps he hadn't come to chat and only had some important news to deliver. Getting married in his old age? 

At that moment, Tom-Tom stepped fully into the room. Now Zuko got a perfect view of the person standing in the darkness. In fact, there were two people. One was a teenage girl, bound in ropes and gagged. The other was a young man with a combustion tattoo on his forehead. He pushed the girl forward. 

"No!" Zuko gasped and stumbled back, hitting the table and knocking the teapot aside. It shattered and bled a crimson stain into the wooden floor. _No, it can't be. Not her._ Zuko recognized the girl at once, of course. Nanami. He had visited her town a couple years ago. She'd been quite frustrated that he'd inadvertently discovered her ability to neutralize any bending around her. They'd come to a mutual understanding, each one vowing not to mention the other's existence. He'd kept his share of the bargain as much as he could, though other voidbenders had since been discovered elsewhere. But if someone knew her, had found her, and was trying to get him near her, that could only mean one thing. 

_He knows. This is an attack._ Zuko tried to step further away, but his back hit the wall, sending several displayed masks clattering to the floor. There were no other options. He had to push Nanami away. They already knew his power, or they wouldn't have brought her here, so he had nothing to hide from them. He would find a way to break Nanami away from her captors once he got a safe distance away, but for now, he had to--

The combustionbender acted too quickly. With a forceful shove, he sent the bound Nanami stumbling into the room. She grunted as she fell on the ground only a few feet from Zuko. In an instant, he felt a wave of numbness wash over him as his bloodsensing faded. 

His hands fell from their bending stance first. Then his legs quickly gave out from under him. He mentally screamed at his muscles to at least turn enough to let him fall on his back, but he collapsed onto his arm instead, face smashing onto the floor. 

Tom-Tom laughed. Zuko could not see his face, only the movement of his legs as he approached and rested the sole of his boot against Zuko's face. 

"Well, well... I heard the rumors, but even I didn't think it would work this well. You really are helpless without bending, aren't you?" He drew his foot back and kicked Zuko in the arm, rolling his limp body over so he now faced the ceiling. "I'm still trying to figure out the details. Why would you lose your ability to walk, even to stand, just because your bending stopped? Would this little trick have worked on you forty years ago, I wonder?"

Zuko gritted his teeth. Somehow, it still felt like he should be able to will his way out of it, to call on the bending that had served him so well before. But he had nothing. 

Tom-Tom knelt down, getting within a few inches of Zuko's face. "My sister would have lived a long and healthy life if it weren't for you. Why should you still be alive when she was taken so early?" He spat. The glob of saliva rolled down Zuko's cheek and into his hair. Was that it? That's what his brother-in-law had held against him for so long? 

"I loved Mai," Zuko said, chocking on the memory. "I was devastated when she--"

"Liar! You never loved her. She was just a means to an heir for you." Tom-Tom grinned and straightened. "Well, pretty soon you won't have an heir anymore. Or a nation for your precious little daughter to rule over." He turned to the combustionbender. "Bind them together. You don't have to worry about my brother-in-law, but be sure the girl's hands are secure. It would be... problematic if she got free."

The combustionbender nodded and did as he was told. As Zuko was pulled into a sitting position and placed at Nanami's back, he felt like he was trapped in a dream. This nightmare had to be happening to someone else, somewhere else. Not to him. All he'd ever wanted to do was protect Izumi. Now, it seemed, he was to be used as bait for her demise. 

"Tom... please, don't do this," he begged. "Kill me if you need revenge, but leave Izumi alone."

"Kill you? I can't watch you suffer if I kill you," Tom-Tom replied. "Just like always, old man. Your suggestions are laughably useless. Kind of like you."


	33. Clearing the Air

Fuse was still asleep on the same couch ten hours later. Izumi had not intended to walk up on her the exact moment she woke up, but it worked in her favor all the same. Her position had changed slightly; she had gone from lying on her stomach to lying on her back, and her mouth was open a tad more. 

Fuse made a low muffled groan as Izumi attempted to walk past. "What the...?" She sat up and massaged her forehead. Her eyes scanned the room, probably a bit slower than they normally would. When she saw where she'd slept, and that Izumi was standing right beside her, she gasped. "I'm so sorry! I should have been back in the barracks last night. Did I fall asleep somewhere important?"

"Oh, no," Izumi said, shaking her head. Any of Korra's friends would say something amusing and clever right about now. Izumi couldn't think of anything clever, so she compromised with exaggerated sarcasm. "Although, that _is_ the sacred drunk Firelord sleeping couch, where only the Firelord may recline and only after extended periods of unreasonable alcohol consumption." 

She waited for Fuse to respond. It wasn't a laugh, but it wasn't a grimace either. She first narrowed her eyes as if Izumi trying to joke was such a strange thing, she needed extra time to process it. Then, when she finally decided she had heard correctly, she smiled. 

"I appreciate milady's... understanding." 

Izumi held up a hand. "Enough with the 'milady' bit, if you don't mind. Between the war meetings with Iroh and the pressure of my council to make a move on Sunport, I've had more than enough formal greetings to last until my retirement." 

Fuse nodded, although she didn't say anything either. 

Well, Izumi reasoned, now was as good a time as any to move her into her new quarters. "Actually, if you do need a bit more rest, I can find a more comfortable place for you do it in," she said. 

Fuse eyed her skeptically. Probably expecting her to make another terrible joke, maybe about finding her a spot in the dungeon. 

"I believe," Izumi said carefully, "you've more than proven yourself here. I'd like to give you your own room."

"I... my own.... are you serious?"

"Serious as my father," Izumi said. Even if no one else appreciated the humor of that joke, Izumi knew all too well how true it was. "Come. Follow me." Fuse did so.

The room that Izumi had decided to give Fuse was probably one of the most modest ones in the palace. It had a single bed, no canopy, with plain garnet curtains enveloping the windows. Beside the bed was a single wooden dresser, with a few decorative flames carved into its edges, but otherwise, nothing out of the ordinary. Fuse looked at the place like she'd stepped into some sort of childhood fantasy. She walked along the room's edge, fingering the curtains, stroking the bed, her lips moving without words. Finally, she turned to face Izumi. 

"Thank you, mi--" she paused in the middle of a bow, unsure how to complete the sentence. 

"Izumi is fine," Izumi said. Fuse gave her a look that read _in no sane universe would 'Izumi' ever be fine_ , so she sighed and said, "Firelord if you must."

"Firelord, then." Fuse straightened out of the bow and tentatively took a seat on the bed, as if it might disappear once she treated it like a part of reality. It didn't, and when she discovered this, she bounced up and down a bit. For a moment, Izumi remembered a young Iroh jumping up and down on that mattress when it was first brought in, then a young Zarah almost twenty years later. She didn't want to end the happy memory. But her children were adults now. She had to keep reminding herself of that. 

"There is... something else I need to ask you," she said. Fuse's relaxed movements ceased. Her guard rose up. Not that it had been completely gone before this. "I know this will be difficult to talk about," Izumi said. "But the fact is that you were allies with the group that has captured Sunport. We are moving in, and I need any and all information you can give me on who is behind the attack and what their forces are." 

She could see Fuse analyzing her; they had had enough discussions over tea that she read the eye movements well enough. Perhaps she was trying to decide if this new room had not been a kind gesture, but just an attempt to get Fuse to talk. _It wasn't that,_ Izumi told herself. Then she wondered herself if it was true. 

"I'm afraid... I can't tell mi-- I can't tell you much, Firelord," she said. "Only snippets of conversations that I overheard. I know that my-- that Master Jerkface has some sort of involvement and that he sent a weapon out with a Fire Nation noble named Tomas." 

_Master Jerkface?_ Izumi didn't interrupt on this point, and only assumed this was another one of those things that Fuse and Bolin had discussed between them. The other name she couldn't let go. "Tomas?" she asked. _It couldn't be..._ "Not Tom-Tom?"

Fuse shrugged. "I don't know what other names he's called himself. Tomas was the only name he went by when I saw him." 

"Wait a moment." Izumi hurried over to the dresser. Being a room full of memories, she had stashed a few physical ones here, too. Specifically, photos of her family members. Even the ones she hadn't seen for ages. She slipped a faded photo out of an envelope and handed it over to Fuse. 

"Is this the man you saw?"

Fuse narrowed her eyes at the photo. "He was older than that, but yes. That's him." 

"I see." Izumi hands shook as she withdrew the photo. _Why?_ She knew her uncle never wanted much to do with the family, but she had always passed it off as a personal quirk of his. He was a busy man, and knew how difficult running the Fire Nation was, so he had simply never made time and assumed her father didn't have time to spare anyway. What could have made him so angry? She put the photo back in the drawer and nearly slammed it shut in her efforts to get her head clear.

"I understand all this is... difficult," she said. "Thank you, Fuse."

The combustionbender griped the bed sheets and breathed deeply. Then Izumi saw her smile. The second smile in less than an hour. That Bolin boy must have had some influence on her. "Actually," she said. "It's not Fuse anymore. My name is Tenna." 

"Tenna?" Izumi was surprised at first, then took a few moments to mull over the name. "It's lovely," she concluded. "You made a fine choice." 

At this, Tenna blushed. "I didn't choose it," she said. "But I did accept it. Thank you." She bounced lightly on the mattress as if to solidify its place in reality. Then her body stiffened once again. 

"There is something else you should probably know, Firelord," she said quietly. "Tomas... was planning to capture your father."

Izumi's blood ran cold. "What?" she heard herself whisper.

Tenna shook her head. There was frustration there, anger at letting these memories sit so long. "I don't know how he planned to do it. But my-- Master Jerkface's subordinates seemed quite sure that Lord Zuko had a weakness that would make his capture simple."

"A weakness?" Her father only had two weaknesses that she could think of. One was his bloodbending, the other was his family. So unless this master of Tenna's had discovered a secret that Zuko himself had kept hidden seven decades, she had to assume...

 _They're going to go after Iroh's son. After Kaja!_ It was the only thing that made sense. Iroh's firebending was just as strong as his grandfather's. And everyone had seen the Avatar protecting Izumi herself from an earlier attack. Perhaps Iroh's wife was a possibility, too. 

_I need to double the guards around Kaja's nursery._ Izumi had started pacing now, her breaths only coming out a normal speed because she willed her body to do so. _Around all the rooms Iroh and his family have been staying in._

"Firelord?" she vaguely heard Tenna saying behind her. Her head felt like it was underwater, reality far away and murky. "...Izumi?" Tenna asked again. 

Izumi stopped pacing. She did not panic. That was not what a Firelord did. If her family was threatened, she would strike back with full force. But she still couldn't shake the nagging thought from her mind, however unlikely, that Kaja was not a target at all. _I need to get Dad to come home,_ she told herself. _As soon as possible._

#

Mako felt like death as he trudged through the palace. He never did deal with sleep deprivation well, and he hadn't caught so much as a minute's rest after last night's talk with Fuse... Tenna, whatever she called herself now. All he could do was go over all the information he'd gathered in his head over and over. His long days and nights at the library had eaten his brain, he was pretty sure on that. Right now, he needed to talk to someone sane. 

Korra would do. 

He found her outside her room, trying to pull on her boots and eat a peeled banana at the same time. 

"No... Firelord meetings today?" he asked, walking up to her. 

"Hmm?" Korra swallowed the rest of the fruit in one gulp and straightened up. "Oh, no, not today. Firelord Izumi says she has 'too much going on' to deal with me." She shrugged and stretched her arms above her head. "Still have practice with Fuse, though."

"Yeah, about her..." Mako said, looking nervously to the side. The hallway looked empty, but he figured he could never be too careful. "...and about Firelord Izumi, for that matter. I've been doing some research--"

"Yeah, I know. Fuse and I were theorizing that you died in the library and we might have to send the eel-hounds in to find your corpse."

Mako scowled. "--and I think I found something... disconcerting," he finished. "Do you have a few minutes?"

Korra's humorous expression quickly dropped. "I'll be a bit late for practice, but... I guess, if it's that important." She led him into her room. It was Korra's, no doubt. She had clothes, supplies Asami had sent in from Republic City, and basically anything else that could make a room messy strewn across the floor. Still, the room was more spacious than Mako's, and Korra was able to shove some clothes off a table and pull it to the center of the room without much effort. Mako pulled up a chair while Korra found a stool stashed in the corner. 

"So, what's up?" she asked. 

"Okay, so right now I've got two working theories," Mako began. He tried to spread some of his scribbled notes across the table, although it became painfully clear that he was the only one who'd be able to read them. He shuffled them back together and tucked them under the chair. "Based on all the evidence I've collected, my first theory is that a large of group of combustionbenders are secretly working with a local herd of elephant-bears to attack innocent Fire Nation citizens."

Korra raised an eyebrow. 

"Yeah, that one didn't seem too plausible to me, either," Mako said, rubbing the back of his head. "But my only other theory is that Firelord Izumi is a bloodbender, and that makes just as much sense."

For some reason, Korra straightened in her seat at this suggestion. Weird. He didn't think she got creeped out so easily. "Why don't you tell me what it is you're trying to find an explanation for, and I'll see if I can help you from there," she said.

Mako nodded. "Well, the thing is, I've been noticing a string of attacks on small villages in the Fire Nation. They're spaced pretty far apart, but they're... they're too regular to be random. I think they were planned. Connected."

If Korra looked uncomfortable before, it was twice as bad now. "Are there survivors in these attacks?"

"No," said Mako, shaking his head. "Whatever hits these villages, no one is left. The official reports say it's just bands of barbarians or bandits, but..." He swallowed hard. What he was about to say next would be treason from any Fire Nation citizen. "But the regularity of it makes me think that maybe the Firelord knows something about it."

Korra took the suggestion exactly as Mako predicted she would. Not well. "Firelord Izumi doesn't know anything. I'm sure of it." She shook her head, massaged her temples. 

"I know what those attacks are," she said quietly. "They're from this group that creates combustionbenders. They attack the villages and kill the adults. The children, they take and train to be 'weapons.' Like Fuse called herself."

"How... do you know this?" Mako narrowed his eyes. "Wait, is this a story Fuse told you? Because I'm not sure she's trust--"

"Will you lay off of her!" Korra snapped, pounding the table again. She seemed to realize it was already taking a lot of abuse at her hands and leaned back a bit. "Look, I'm not saying that everything she's done has been great. But I feel like you're just looking... hoping, even, to discover she's got some grand plot to destroy us all." 

"Why would I want someone to have a grand plot against us all?"

"Oh, I don't know, Mako. Maybe because you're afraid to let Bolin get involved with a girl again this soon after Opal?"

Bullseye. Not that Mako would say it, of course, but he was pretty sure the sentiment was written all over his face. "So what if I am? I'm his brother. I'm supposed to look out for him."

Korra groaned. "Bolin's his own person, Mako. I know you grew up protecting him, but you can't do that forever. He's an adult now."

Mako's whole body shook with her words. Ever since they'd lost their parents, Mako always felt like a substitute parent to Bolin. Responsible. The one who had to jump in and pulverize anyone who tried to hurt his little brother. But Korra was right. It wasn't like that now. "I just... don't want him to get hurt," he finally said.

"Fuse won't hurt him," Korra said. "I know you haven't gotten much chance to talk to her. I haven't gotten nearly as much time as I would like. And maybe her and Bolin's relationship is still destined for disaster. But I know she cares about him." 

Korra cleared her throat, looking guiltily at the floor. "Also, she didn't give me that story about the kidnappers. Zaheer did."

"Zaheer?!" Mako jumped up from his chair. His knee smacked the table in the process, almost knocking the whole setup over. 

"Well, don't yell at me!" Korra said, but Mako was far past following that request.

"Don't yell at... _Why_ would you contact Zaheer?"

"I was... I thought... arg!" Now Korra stood up. She actually did knock the little stool she'd been sitting on over, though the table stayed in place. "It's hard to explain, but I... I was worried. I kept thinking about P'li's escape and wondering if Lord Zuko... if he did all he could to prevent it."

"What?" Mako had no idea how to take that. Out of all the people Korra would randomly decide to mistrust, Lord Zuko seemed the least likely target. "So... you thought he let the Red Lotus get away on purpose?" he asked. "Why would you think that?"

"Look, the point was, he didn't," Korra said. "And I've been feeling guilty about this all night. Zuko's been nothing but supportive of me, and I still didn't trust him." She stared up at the ceiling. Mako glanced up, too, but if it was somehow bestowing some Avatar wisdom to Korra, he wasn't privy to it. "I guess," Korra slowly continued. "I guess all I'm saying is, don't judge people based on outside information. Get to know them. Judge them for yourself. Does that make sense?"

Mako nodded. This was unusually insightful coming from Korra, and he wasn't sure what other response to make to it. "I think I get what you're saying," he said. "But if Firelord Izumi doesn't know about these attacks, then someone needs to tell her right away."

"Good luck with that," Korra said. "They're planning to move on Sunport tomorrow. I barely caught a glimpse of her yesterday, and I'm the Avatar."

"I'll find a way," Mako said, sounding way more confident then he felt. He glanced sheepishly at the ground. "But... while I'm waiting for that war meeting to end, I think I need to talk to Bolin."


	34. War Room

Zuko had a few theories about the limits of voidbending. He'd never had the chance to test any of them, but he supposed now was as a good time as any.

His captors were strategic about their hostage-keeping, at any rate. He and Nanami were both kept bound onto the mast of a ship, which was perfectly positioned in the middle of the Ember Island Bay. If the Avatar or the Fire Nation army made any moves, they would be well aware of it. And so would the dozen guards on duty guarding Zuko and Nanami right at this moment. Zuko tried to glance behind him. The poor girl was still gagged and pulled against the ropes now and again. She had to be exhausted. 

_Huh... exhausted. I wonder how voidbending works if the bender is asleep..._

Just then one of the guards approached Zuko holding another gag. Zuko had very few resources at the moment, and he was not at all anxious to have another strike against him. He had, thankfully, picked up a few tricks from Uncle Iroh in his youth. 

He craned his neck as if trying to struggle against the ropes and put on the most pathetic feeble old man expression he could muster. "Must you use that?" he asked in a raspy voice. 

"Sorry. Orders," the guard replied. Not unkindly. There seemed like there might be some genuine regret in his voice. Zuko could definitely use that. He made a hacking cough for good measure. 

"Young man, I'm ninety-one years old. I can't move a muscle right now, and with this flu I've been fighting, I'm barely able to get my voice above a whisper. You're healthy, armed, and you could have a small army over here with a single call. You think I'm going to harm you somehow?"

The guard stepped back, looked down at the gag, then back at Zuko, and seemed to consider just how ridiculous his precautions were. A little hesitation was all Zuko needed. 

"You seem like the ambitious type," Zuko went on. "Yes, I can see it in your eyes. High rank in this operation, am I right?" 

He wasn't. The guard probably ranked slightly above the people in charge of cleaning the ship. But as Zuko predicted, he straightened like he was second-in-command. "High enough," he said.

"Ah. Then I'm sure your leader shared with you why being near a voidbender has such a profound effect on me."

The young man's face fell. "He... didn't exactly explain that, no." 

This disappointed Zuko. If his secret wasn't out, he preferred to keep it that way. But he didn't see too many options and if his plan worked, he'd be revealing his powers eventually, anyway. "Really? Well, you're intelligent. Work it out. What sort of bending affects the body?"

"Um..." The guard glanced down at his own hands. "Bloodbending?"

"There's a smart young man. I knew it. See, that's why your boss values you. Yes, I'm a bloodbender. And I've been using that ability for quite a while to compensate for my injured body. I don't have to tell you how skilled that makes me." 

The guard looked puzzled, then glanced down at his hands. He still gripped the gag in his left hand. "Um, I'm confused. Are you saying you are dangerous and I should gag you after all?"

Zuko laughed. Then he realized he hadn't coughed in a bit, and added one of those in, too. "I'm saying that I have a lot of helpful information. I could share with you about how to use your own bloodbending to its full potential. Not to mention my vast knowledge of the nation you're attempting to overthrow. And I confess, I am terribly afraid of pain. Why, a few good threats to slap me around, and I'm sure I would spill all sorts of secrets." 

"Oo, spill secrets. Do that." The guard actually pulled up a nearby crate and took a seat.

Nanami mumbled something beneath the gag. 

"You shut up," the guard said and turned back to Zuko. "You were about to spill secrets."

"Now, now. Slow down, young man. I think it's best if we begin at the beginning, don't you? Now, I'm not sure if you're aware, but my mother Ursa was the granddaughter of Avatar Roku. That's why firebending was so strong in our family, you see. Avatar Roku was married to a lovely and kind woman named Ta Min. They had a daughter named Rina, who was born in the year..."

The guard's eyes were already starting to glaze over. Zuko decided to be optimistic and assume that Nanami's eyes were doing the same. This might be easier than he thought. 

#

Bolin's head was pounding. Partially from Varrick's wine, partially from the bright outdoors (seriously, why did the Fire Nation have to be so darn sunny all the time?) but mostly his head hurt thanks to Mako. 

Yep. Good ol' detective-man Mako, who never did anything wrong ever, had not approved of Bolin's "public drunkenness" the night before. To emphasize this, he had given Bolin a droning lecture on the definition of "moderation" as soon as he woke up. Then, perhaps to drill the consequences into him just a little more, Mako insisted that a brisk walk would help clear Bolin's head. 

It hadn't. 

At the Fire Palace stables, Shadow greeted him with his usual puppy vigor, and Bolin laughed despite his migraine. The one positive about being dragged to the Fire Palace... he could visit with Tenna early. Maybe he could even help her with her work? Her shift would be starting soon, and she must have been feeling as miserable as he was. At least this way they could be miserable together. 

He followed Shadow and was surprised to find Tenna already there, though not in her usual place preparing to do her usual work. She was resting in the shade of one of the barns, a damp towel on her head and a tray of tea by her side. 

"Hey," she said when she saw him coming. "You're early."

"So are you." he noted. "No training with Korra today?"

"Tried," Tenna said. Her voice quavered a little and Bolin saw her fight the urge to gag. "It didn't go so well..." 

Bolin grimaced sympathetically, recalling a certain pro-bending match that he had tried to fight stuffed to the gills with noodles...that hadn't gone so well for him. 

Tenna patted the ground, inviting him to sit. "How about you? You look like you've just been on the wrong side of a lecture. Mako give you a hard time this morning?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Just a hunch." She had a look in her eye that made Bolin's uneasy stomach turn. He had seen that look many times before over the years. No question... it was the 'disagreed-with-Mako' face.

"Was he rude to you? He was rude to you, wasn't he? Aw, man! I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into him lately." He sat beside her, leaning his back against rough wood of the barn. "Ever since we got here, Mako's been acting all paranoid and strange. Like this morning, after the lecture, he started asking me all these questions about you."

Tenna raised an eyebrow. "Like what?" 

Bolin cleared his throat. "To be honest, I... uh, can't really remember." He rubbed his forehead. "I told him to quit obsessing over your past so much. I mean, we didn't exactly have the greatest past either, ya know?"

Tenna gave a sympathetic nod, then patted his hand. He turned it palm over and curled his fingers around hers. They stayed like that for a while, saying nothing. A moment of silence, perhaps, for the families they had both lost so young. Then Tenna cleared her throat and spoke softly. "Well, thank you for defending my honor, Bolin. It's very touching." She gave his hand a little squeeze before letting go. 

Bolin smiled at her despite both his head pain and the new ache deep in his chest. "Anytime." 

She reached down and poured a fresh cup of tea. "Here. Griff's family recipe."

 _Griff's family must enjoy the taste of sweat socks,_ thought Bolin as he sniffed at the brew. _Maybe it tastes better than it smells?_ He took a mouthful and was quickly proven wrong. 

"It tastes awful," Tenna warned, a minute too late, "but it should help with your headache."

"Mmommmmurfff..." Bolin mumbled then forced himself to swallow. Though his taste buds and his stomach lurched in protest, he gulped down the rest. He made a face when Tenna poured him another cup. 

"It helps. Trust me," she said kindly. Then a bit firmer, she added, "I'm on cup number five, by the way."

Surprisingly, after about the fourth (or was it the four-hundredth?) cup, Griff's miracle sock water did ease his head. "Thank you, Griff!" he called to the old stable hand. 

Griff looked up from his task--crafting new riding tack for the eel-hounds--and smirked in an uncle-y sort of way. "I've been there a time or two. Just don't make a habit of it, ya hear?" 

"Yes, sir," both Tenna and Bolin answered simultaneously. 

The screech of a hawk sounded. Bolin looked up, catching the outline of the messenger hawk as it swept in to land on Griff's workbench. It was a beautiful animal as far as messenger hawks went--bigger, too. Even its letter pouch was fancier then normal. It was embroidered with the royal seal. _Odd,_ Bolin thought as Griff extracted a rolled envelope and examined the seal. Didn't they usually use the messenger towers for that sort of thing? 

"That's the Firelord's personal messenger," Tenna said softly. Her posture had stiffened, and she had a queasy look on her face that he was pretty sure wasn't from her hangover. 

Even Griff looked visibly shaken, if such a thing was even possible. "Tenna. Bolin. I need you to take this to the Firelord. Immediately." 

#

Izumi kept the meeting small. Herself, Iroh, and both of their respective lieutenant generals. She invited the Avatar as well, against her better judgment. But Iroh did seem to be close friends with her, and the last thing she wanted now was to cause any friction between them. 

Besides, if she held the meeting and didn't invite Korra, she had a feeling the young Avatar might be waterbending the doors down when she found out. And that would just be messy. 

"I propose we move in from the bay," Iroh began. "Mother, you can then send your forces in from the mainland, and we take Sunport back by surrounding them."

Izumi nodded thoughtfully, glancing towards a large tapestry on the far way that displayed the Fire Nation lands, outlines in yellow and gold threads on a velvet background. Not that anyone in the room needed a map to discuss the land they all knew so well. 

"If that's the case, then the sea forces should be prepared to deal with at least one combustionbender, while the land forces should expect to be met with several dozen bloodbenders," she said. The two lieutenant generals looked confused. 

"And where did your majesty get this information?" one of them wanted to know. Izumi averted her gaze and she tried to form a good answer and found to her shock she actually looked at Korra. Then, just to surprise her even more, Korra actually had a good reply. 

"I've been doing some spying on the Firelord's behalf," she said. "I witnessed some of the enemy activity firsthand." 

Izumi never got the chance to find out if either of the lieutenant generals found this an acceptable excuse or not. At that moment, the door burst open. 

"Hey, we've got something!" All conversation in the room ceased as Fuse and Korra's friend Bolin came charging in. She was about to begin a lecture on how completely inappropriate this was. Then she noticed Tenna holding something in her hands. 

"It's a message from the bloodbenders in Sunport!" Bolin announced. "I think it's an ultimate. Erm, ultimatum." 

The two of them slowed and walked up to the group. With the major leaders of the Fire Nation military all in one place, Tenna seemed struck with her past drillings of respect to authority. 

"Your majesty." She bowed low and held up a folded letter on his open palms. It had a wax seal on it; the emblem was the symbol of the Air Nomads. Not the modern one, Izumi noted, but one that had not seen the light of day for almost two centuries. She glanced around the room. No one else seemed to have noticed the symbol, and Izumi quickly gasped the paper is such a way that her hand hid it well as she broke the wax by crushing it in her palm. 

Her mouth dry and palms moist, Izumi folded open the paper. She only needed to read the first eight words for its message to shatter her. 

_"If you want to see your father alive..."_

There was more to it than that, of course. Rants about how the Fire Nation's past crimes against the Air Nomads. A demand to open the Great Gates of Azulon for the kidnappers' ship. But Izumi's eyes fell to the part where they explained how they had managed to defeat and capture a master firebender like Lord Zuko. 

_They've got a voidbender._

As if on cue, one of the guards entered the room, panting and red in the face. "Your highness, an unknown ship is approaching the Gates of Azulon. What do you want us to do?"

"What flags is the ship flying?" Izumi asked in a whisper. 

"Um... they appear to be Air Nomad flags."

Izumi's body stiffened. Any and all rational thought flew from her mind as she read the letter over and over. She'd never known her hands to shake so much. She even tried to use bloodbending to stop them. They stilled for a few brief moments, only to restart when she lost her concentration reading the letter again. All she could picture was her father, at some bandit's mercy. The same bandit, it seemed, who had no issue with purchasing a human being and calling her an object. "Open the gates for them and let them pass." 

"What?" Iroh jumped up and grabbed the letter from Izumi's hands to read it over for himself. The guard looked surprised but bowed nonetheless and hurried off to do as his Firelord had commanded.

"You can't just let them through," Iroh said, crushing the letter in his hands. At least he didn't set it on fire. Just like her son to be the tactical one. But he didn't know everything, didn't realize just how defenseless his grandfather was right now. "Let my ships confront them. You won't be able to defend yourself if you go yourself." 

"I disagree," Korra said, standing up. "They might outnumber us, but your mother's bloodbending skills are far more--"

"Korra!" Izumi snapped. The one time. The _one_ time she might have agreed with Korra, the Avatar had to go be rash again. She fumbled for a way to undo the damage. She'd had near-misses with her son before. Surely she could think of some way to cover for this one. 

Tenna glanced between the two of them with a look of disappointment, probably in Korra's complete inability to glean what she shouldn't have said. 

Iroh stared at Korra muttering half-finished words. "I-I... my mother's _what?_ "

"Her um... fund-raising skills?" Korra tried. More angry glares at her. This time, from pretty much everyone in the room. 

It was time for Izumi to step up. "Iroh," she said, trying to take on that firm, mothering tone; the kind she used when explaining why a prince could only keep certain company or why he had to keep up his firebending skills no matter how grueling the training. "Iroh, I know this sounds strange, but I promise there are reasons--"

"Reasons?" Iroh said. "Is what Korra said true? You became a bloodbender at Harmonic Convergence and didn't tell me?"

Her stomach felt sick. She had a perfect out now. Yes, he would be angry with her, but she could find excuses for the last four years -- he was living far away, she was busy with ruling the country, they simply hadn't had much time to communicate and anyway, how would she have brought it up? But every excuse sounded more and more pathetic in her head. And none would do her any good if he ever discovered she'd been lying not for four years, but his whole life. For once, just once, it felt like she should share her secret. Fully and completely. 

"That is not what Korra said," she answered, her voice quiet and distant now. "Korra said I have bloodbending skills, and I do. But it has nothing to do with Harmonic Convergence." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her mind felt like a dam ready to burst. And she was the one delivering the fatal blow. "I was born a bloodbender, Iroh. Because I inherited it from your grandfather." 

"That doesn't... you mean my great-grandfather?" Now her son looked less stunned and more plain confused. Then he seemed to realize the absurdity of his statement, and shook her head. "No, he was a firebender, too. You're not making any sense, Mother." Izumi grunted with frustration. How was this so hard?

"Sit down for a moment," she said. "And I'll explain." 

She did explain. She explained the powers she'd been born with, why she'd chosen to hide them. She explained how her father was able to possess the abilities of both a firebender and a bloodbender. And finally, she explained why he needed them.

"That's why I had to let their ship pass," she finally said. "It's why I have to go confront these people myself. Your grandfather is completely helpless right now. If we don't get in there--"

"He's not helpless. Quit saying that!" Korra snapped. All eyes turned to look at the Avatar. She seemed surprised, as if she'd meant to keep all those words silently inside her head. "I'm... not saying he doesn't need our help," she said in a much more normal tone. "I'm sure he does, and we're going to give it to him. But that's not the same thing as being helpless." Her eyes floated across the room, gazing over the portraits of the past Firelords as if they too were in the room listening to her. "I don't know what he's feeling right now. I only know how I felt after Zaheer poisoned me. And I was so sick of being labeled as helpless. The days I believed it were the worst days of my life." Her fists tightened. "I'm sure Lord Zuko is doing whatever he can on his end to escape. We'll do the best we can to finish the job. I think we can all agree on that, right?" 

She looked around the room. Everyone nodded at each other. It was an odd group, to be sure. The Firelord, her son, the Avatar, a combustionbender, and two boys from the streets of Republic City. Well, it wasn't the strangest team in history. And Izumi would do all she could to make it succeed. 

"I don't blame you if you hate me for keeping my secret from you," she said quietly to Iroh. "But I'd beg you to set aside your anger until your grandfather is safe. " 

"I do want to talk later," Iroh said. "About what this... might mean for my family. For my son." Izumi nodded. She wished she could take it away, that fear that her grandson might carry the same burden as her one day. A shame wishing didn't make reality. 

"But I'm not angry," Iroh finished. Then he gave her a small smile. "I love you, Mother."

"I love you, too," she whispered back. As she tried to hold back the tears of happiness and relief, Izumi heard a strange sound. It was some sort of sniffled. She thought at first it was a sound she'd been making subconsciously. Then she turned to see Bolin, with eyes full of tears, wiping his nose on his sleeve. 

"I'm sorry," he whimpered. "But this is just so... so... can we have a family group hug?"

Tenna raised an eyebrow. "You aren't their family," she pointed out. 

"Oh, right." He sniveled and rubbed his nose again. "All right, then. Family and friend group hug!" He didn't wait for everyone's approval, just sort of pulled the group of them altogether. Tenna and Mako were unfortunate enough to be up against Bolin's tear-stained cheeks, but neither of them complained about it. In fact, if Izumi hadn't been so distracted with the tornado of feelings in her stomach right now, she might have even said Tenna was blushing.


	35. Eli's Judgment

Zuko was quite disappointed. He had barely finished telling the tale of he and his friends' journey through Forgetful Valley when the guard fell asleep. He'd have thought that would be one of the more interesting parts of his tale. Nanami had fallen asleep earlier than that; he'd felt his body slip back into his control a good ten minutes beforehand. But he also realized that after being battered around by Tom-Tom (that little brat was going to get it once he got out of here), and deprived of food and water for nearly half a day now, his command of bloodbending wasn't quite as strong as before. He needed to conserve his strength. The first thing he needed was to untie these ropes. That was easy enough. The guard who lay snoring on the floor had a dagger tucked into the belt at his side. With some focus, Zuko used bloodbending to drag the man close enough so he could get a hold of the blade. 

The next part was trickier. If Zuko cut the ropes and Nanami suddenly fell down, that would probably wake her up. The guard, he'd already observed, slept like a petrified lizard-hog. He couldn't count on being that lucky with the girl who could instantly disable him. He swallowed, feeling the sides of his throat sticking together and concentrated on keeping himself and the girl sitting upright while he slowly worked the blade back and forth across the rope. Slicing his bonds got easier as he went, though sitting straight got more and more difficult. A little farther, and... 

The dagger went through the last string of cord. Zuko sighed with relief and carefully placed the weapon on the ship's floor. A breeze had picked up, rocking the ship back and forth. Nanami stayed asleep. 

Zuko pulled himself loose from the tangled ropes and finally got a good look at the deck around him. The space was narrow, but long, and he couldn't see any land behind them. Before them, however, the Great Gates of Azulon were just barely visible on the horizon. 

_So we've come that far already?_ Zuko thought. Being above deck was risky; there were probably sentries everywhere who would notice if he did anything too sudden or obvious. Leaning on the ship's mast for support, he went through the bloodbending stance to gently pull Nanami away from the cut ropes. She stirred, but her body floated across the deck, farther away from him. A little bit more, and it wouldn't matter if she awoke or not. He could escape from here and get her some help. 

There was a huge crash. Zuko whirled around to see a man in Air Nomad robes dropping what appeared to be a large collection of kitchen pots onto the deck. The guard who'd fallen asleep yelped with shock, while Zuko quickly felt the effects of Nanami waking up. The numbness swallowed him, though at least this time, he had enough warning that he fell on his side and not his face. He hissed as his head smacked against the deck. This was getting incredibly frustrating. Not to mention, he had no back up plan. 

He heard footsteps scrambling and strained his neck to see what was happening. The guard wasted no time in getting Nanami tied up once again. 

The Air Nomad's footsteps, however, were soft and methodical. He approached Zuko with complete indifference to the struggle going on around him, and clicked his tongue. "Oh my, I'm so clumsy. I really shouldn't practice airbending our heavy kitchen supplies out here. I might... disturb someone." The man shot a look of pure fury off to the side. From where Zuko had fallen, he didn't have a full view of where the gaze was directed, but judging by the guard's blubbering apologies afterwards, he had a good guess. The guard shuffled into view and Zuko caught sight of him re-tying Nanami to the mast. She bit him twice. 

The Air Nomad approached Zuko and knelt over him, looking him up and down like an archer examining his fallen prey to see if it was dead. 

"Not bad," he said. "You're resourceful, I'll give you that. But I'm afraid I can't let you leave yet." He reached to his side and pulled a water skin from his belt, tossing it to the guard. "Give her a drink. I'm sure she's thirsty."

The guard caught the water skin, but looked thoroughly insulted at his boss's suggestion. "Sh-she bit me!"

"Of course she did. You kidnapped her and then you were stupid enough to put your hand near her mouth. You deserved it. Now give the poor girl a drink. She's a Fire Nation citizen, not royalty. Her time hasn't come yet." 

The guard muttered something and did as he'd been commanded. The Air Nomad smiled. This man was not going to be fooled as easily as his subordinate. Still, Zuko felt if he could at least get him talking, perhaps he could get some information. 

"Your clothes... they aren't the modern Air Nomad robes," Zuko observed.

"Ah, you noticed that? Yes, my group does tend to stick to our old ways. Unlike the new airbenders that idiot Tenzin is leading, we value our history." He got within inches of Zuko's face. "My name is Eli, by the way. You might like to know that." He reached for his belt again, this time pulling a second water skin and taking a long, loud drink for himself, wiping his lips on his sleeve when he had finished. Zuko pressed his dry lips together. 

"Airbenders... who survived the massacres of the hundred year war?"

"Not all of us lived at the temples all the time, you know. And when we heard of the genocide going on there, we would have been fools to return. No armies, nothing to fight back with. All we could do was survive and wait." 

He took another drink, then closed the water skin and returned it to his belt. "Ah, that _is_ refreshing. Now, I see no reason to beat around the bush about anything. Zuko, for your father's crimes against my ancestors and your own attempts to murder my fellow airbender, Aang, I sentence you, your family, and your nation to death."

 _No. That's impossible._ Zuko gritted his teeth. There was nothing in the man's accusations he could deny. His family had committed atrocities unparalleled in history. And for the first fourteen years of his life, he'd followed in Ozai's footsteps perfectly. Nothing, not even seventy years of trying to make peace, could erase that. But for this single man to have some way of destroying the entire country? It had to be a lie. _Please, let it be a lie._

"You've... a right to be angry," Zuko said carefully. "And a right to want revenge. But the Fire Nation now isn't like what it was before. You can't hold its current citizens responsible for what happened back then."

"Oh, I can't, can I? I believe I can do whatever I want. And to be perfectly honest with you, what I want right now is to watch this nation that built itself up on my ancestors' blood suffer exactly what we suffered. I want to see every one of them destroyed. I want to give them the same level of mercy your family gave mine." 

"You're sick, you know that?" Nanami snapped. "You're insane!"

Neither the airbender nor the guard answered her. Zuko strained his neck, but just as before, his body refused to obey. _Does Tom-Tom know what this man is?_ He couldn't imagine his brother-in-law knowingly working with an airbender of any kind. Which meant that Tom-Tom was probably no safer than any Fire Nation citizen right now. And Izumi and Iroh were probably in the worst danger of all. 

_I have to protect them._ Zuko winced, fighting tears. He'd been able to hold back before, thinking that somehow, he'd get out of this. But he didn't see an exit anymore. And even with all the lives at stake, all his could think of was his own family. There had to be some way out... if he could use bloodbending for even a second--

The Air Nomad watched his struggle with a satisfied grin. Above them, the sun broke through the clouds, its fierce rays blinding Zuko momentarily. Still, he felt the hot breath of his captor as the man leaned down to whisper, "I've learned a few tricks myself, you see. And I know that even a bloodbender as skilled as you can't use your powers if you're dehydrated." He straightened and nodded to the guard again. "Make sure he stays facing the sun and keep any water away from him. We'll be at the gates soon."

They certainly would, given the brief glimpse Zuko had gotten of their surroundings when he'd stood. But how did he plan to get through? _And why haven't the gates been lit yet?_

The guard must have nodded an assent to his leader's command, because Eli said nothing else as he walked away. 

\----

Bolin watched as Mako attempted to unfurl a map of the Fire Nation for everyone to see. The map was very disobedient and kept re-curling on itself. As he struggled, Bolin leaned against a chair, whistling. He'd found himself doing that ever since he was a kid. Generally when he was nervous about something. When he feared for his life, Bolin figured he made the best whistling earthbender in Republic City. "So, um... the Firelord's a bloodbender," he said in a shaky voice. "That's... that's pretty strange. Huh, you guys?"

"Not really," Tenna answered. "I knew about it weeks ago. The Firelord simply threatened to imprison and possibly execute me if I told anyone."

"Oh. That wasn't nice." 

"It wasn't. But, in her defense, I'd been threatening to kill you on palace grounds the day before."

"Oh yeah," mused Bolin. Funny how things had turned out. 

"I knew something was up with Korra and the Firelord, but I didn't quite expect this," Mako said. He slid his hand along the side of the map, giving himself a nasty paper cut along the palm. "Ow!"

Bolin winced. "Aw, geez. I'm sorry, bro," he said. He then floated some rocks from a nearby turtleduck fountain onto the paper to weigh it down. 

Iroh, who up until now had been having some kind of private chat with his mom, now walked over to join their group.

"My mother has agreed to come with us," he announced, "but I would still prefer we not reveal her power unless we have to. Korra and the two of you will be at her side at all times. If any bloodbending needs to happen, she will attempt to assist you without drawing attention to herself." 

He pointed to the island on the map while Mako nursed his hand. Bolin nodded like he had some grand plans he was comparing to General Iroh's suggestions. He usually found that nodding got him through tough conversations pretty well. 

"The mission has two parts," Iroh said. "First is to infiltrate Sunport. We take out their leader," his fists tightened, "but we do it quietly, so as not to endanger the hostage."

Bolin swallowed hard. It was weird watching Iroh trying so hard to distance himself from the situation. That was why he only said stuff like "the leader" and "the hostage." As opposed to "my great uncle" and "my grandfather." 

"When the leader is dealt with," Iroh went on, "we'll need to acquire a boat that bears whatever flag or emblem this group uses to identify themselves so that we have a safe approach."

"So... no riding in on a dragon?" Bolin asked. It was the best suggestion he could think of, and he was tired of being quiet.

Iroh's eyebrow twitched. "No, Bolin, no riding in on a dragon. Now, here is where we enter the second stage of our attack. While the main troops remain in Sunport to ensure the citizens safety, myself, the Firelord, the Avatar, and you two," he made a dismissive motion to Bolin and Mako, "will draw the attention of the enemy boats. Your mission," he pointed to Tenna, "is to try to separate the voidbender from Zuko. I assume they're bound together. She may be able to make a run for it if the binds are cut."

"Understood," said Tenna, unflinching. No doubt about it. She was in weapon mode. 

Mako raised an eyebrow. "She's probably under heavy guard," he said. "Take away bending, and a dozen trained soldiers still have a pretty good advantage over one unarmed girl." He was being all detective-y, choosing his words carefully to question Iroh's plan and Tenna's skill without actually questioning. 

Iroh nodded. "I'm aware of that, but it's still our best chance." 

Tenna fixed Mako with an unwavering stare, clearly not fooled. "I'll be fine." She paused and steepled her fingers. "There is also... another option. I could end this quickly by killing the voidbender, Depending on how close she is to Lord Zuko, I might be able to take her out from a safe distance away." 

Bolin winced. Mako frowned. After everything they'd gone through, was that still how Tenna thought? 

"My grandfather would never want that," Iroh said. "Not even to save his own life. My mother and I feel the same." 

Bolin looked back at Tenna and saw that she was smiling. "I know," she said quietly. "That's what I admire about your family."

Bolin tried to smile to, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. This didn't feel like it had a very good chance of success. With all the bloodbenders swarming around Sunport, did they really think they were going to walk in and find whoever was in charge of the operation that easily?

Even more so, with Korra and Bolin both coming along, did anyone think this was going to happen quietly? Bolin appreciated the confidence everyone seemed to have in him, but even he had to admit, he didn't had a good track record with the sneaky stuff. 

Then never mind how they were going to disguise the Firelord and get her through...

Unless they _didn't_ disguise the Firelord. 

"Oo, guys! Guys!" he said, raising his hand. "I've got an awesome idea." The table of dignitaries didn't look especially thrilled with being addressed as "guys", but they gave him their attention just the same. 

"Okay, I know I'm a bit biased on this one," Bolin began, holding one hand up. "But I think I've got a really good idea for how to get us straight to this evil Tom-Tom guy. It's called," he flashed a mischievous grin, "acting."


	36. Clashing Weapons

Izumi had to admit, she hadn't really expected the best idea offered in the war room to come from Bolin. In fact, when he'd started to talk, she'd been tempted to suggest leaving him behind. Now they were following his plan essentially to the letter. 

Of course, following Bolin's plan also required letting herself, her son, and the Avatar be bound and gagged and marched through the streets of Sunport straight to her insane uncle who wanted them both dead. She couldn't exactly say she was comfortable with that. Still, she kept walking, one foot in front of the other, doing her best to look furious and defeated. 

The citizens of Sunport were easy enough to distinguish from the bloodbenders who'd taken control of the place. When a citizen saw their leader captured and being marched to certain death, their eyes filled with fear and desperation. The bloodbenders, however, grinned when they saw her, like they'd just been told a marvelous joke. 

Izumi coughed beneath the gag. Tenna had made the knots so that they looked convincing but could be undone quickly and easily. Still, Izumi decided she quite hated acting. Especially acting like she had no control.

"Okay, move it, people!" Bolin announced loudly, giving her arm a tug. "We got some VIKPs we need to get to Sir Tomas right away!"

"Master Tomas," Tenna coughed behind him. 

"VIKPs?" Mako muttered as he clutched Iroh's arm and kept walking.

"Yeah. Very Important Kidnapped People. Keep up with your evil lingo, bro." 

Mako rolled his eyes, but kept walking. They got a good distance with no questions, but Izumi started to notice that the deeper they got into the town, the more the ratio of bloodbenders to normal citizens increased. 

She saw some genuine unease in her son's eyes, too. 

At last, one of the bloodbenders did step in front of them and held out his hand to stop Bolin. "You say you're going to the boss?" he asked gruffly.

"Um, yeah, obviously," Bolin said, nodding his head towards Izumi. "Since we've, y'know, captured the Firelord _and_ General Iroh _and_ the Avatar."

The back of Izumi's neck started to sweat. This suddenly felt like a terrible plan. She glanced over her should as a few more people began to gather around. Including, from a building they had indeed just passed a few moments ago, a man who bore the combustionbender's tattoo on his forehead. 

"Yeah, _'obviously_ '," the bloodbender grunted back to Bolin. "Except I assume you'd know when you just passed the boss's place." 

Izumi's breathing sped up. This had been an awful idea. She should just use her bloodbending now and get them all out of here. But she had to hold back. Had to trust them just a bit longer. She had to suppress that desire for control.

"Why would we know where the boss stays in Sunport?" Mako said. "We're part of the boss's... um, secret elite group. That was sent to..." He glanced at Korra, who despite her bonds, still looked quite eager and able to murder him. "...to capture the Avatar. So, we've been out of town because we had more important stuff to do than you. Like... capture the Avatar."

The man blocking their path didn't say anything to that. Instead, his eyes fell to the back of the group, where Tenna had been following silently behind. Now she stepped forward so everyone could see her tattoo clearly.

"Another weapon?" the bloodbender asked. 

"That is correct," Tenna said with a nod. "And my handlers here are telling the truth. Though it is not my place to say, I would certainly advise that you direct them where they ask, lest they are forced to prove their bloodbending skills to you."

"Skills, huh?" the man spat. "I ain't heard of no 'elite group,' and I say there's no one better at this skill than me."

Tenna shrugged. "I did issue a warning." She then turned, bowed to Bolin, and stepped to the back of the group once again. 

"Well," said Bolin, puffing his chest up. "I say that the stuff you say is wrong." He got into an impressively accurate bloodbending stance. Izumi was impressed. She'd only had about an hour to go over the basics with him before they moved out. Bolin's opponent took his stance as well, narrowing his eyes. There was doubt in those eyes now. Not much, but it was there. He shifted into a more defensive position. 

Izumi exchanged glances with Korra and Iroh. The three of them stood in a triangle, insuring that Izumi's hand movements would go unseen. It looked convincing enough like they were trying to step out of the way of the upcoming fight. 

Mako stood next to them. "Don't try to run," he said, louder than necessary. "Don't forget that I, too, am a very skilled and evil bloodbender."

"Bwa-ha-ha!" Bolin laughed, even more unnecessarily loudly. "Not as skilled and evil as me! Eat this!" He swung upwards. Izumi flicked her wrist. Even though Bolin's opponent had prepared himself to fend off an attack, against Izumi, he didn't stand a chance. The man went flying into the air about five feet. Izumi sensed some meager attempts on his part to bloodbend Bolin down to his knees, but she focused and kept him standing straight. Then, when Bolin brought his arms down, she brought his opponent down too, slamming his face into the dirt. 

His comrades watching quickly backed away, looking terrified. The combustionbender had no change in expression and stepped forward. 

"I believe that is enough of a demonstration," he said. He glanced at Tenna. "843."

She nodded, though her voice was a bit shaky. "459." 

_Their weapon numbers,_ Izumi thought with a shiver. The combustionbending man apparently needed no more of an exchange than that and led the group a few houses back. _Why wouldn’t he? What reason would he have to think she'd ever turn traitor?_

Izumi supposed, in hindsight, that which house her uncle was staying in should have been fairly obvious. He was never a subtle man, and never one to settle for anything less than the best in life. The home he'd taken over was only the most luxurious in the neighborhood. Izumi allowed herself to be led through a set of elaborate iron gates and up a long pathway that led around to the back of the house. Or, more accurately, the mansion. The combustionbender made a series of knocks on the door, though Tomas opened it when it seemed like the man was only half finished. 

"Oh, enough of that nonsense. Did you find out what was causing that commotion out in the stree--" His eyes fell straight to Izumi. A hungry grin spread onto his face. "Is this... I can't really have _this_ much good fortune, can I?" He held Izumi's chin and studied her face. It took all her control not to pull herself free and send him flying across the room. _Patience... patience..._

Tomas stole a sideways glance at the rest of the crew. His eyes lingered on Korra and Iroh. He did not seem to notice Mako, Bolin, or Tenna's existence. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, getting spit on Izumi's face as he did. Now she was ill _and_ barely containing her desire to bloodbend him across the room. 

"Little Izumi," he said when he'd gotten control of himself. "Precious, little, _nonbending_ Izumi. Oh, you really are a foolish girl to let yourself out of that palace. I thought you had more sense than that." He stepped to the side and, at his signal, the combustionbenders (both of them, Izumi noted), shoved Izumi, Korra, and Iroh into the mansion's entrance hall. It looked to be about the size of a small ballroom, with two sets of staircases in the far back leading up to a loft. Bolin and Mako stepped into the place last, doing their best to look as unimportant as possible. 

Korra and Iroh crumpled to the ground and didn't attempt to get up. Izumi stayed standing. She had to do at least that much. And her uncle seemed more than happy to keep it that way. 

"Why did you attack my father?" she asked, and for some reason, her voice sounded muffled, her jaw stiff. The gag. In her fury, she'd forgotten it was even there. 

Her uncle smiled. "I'll assume you're asking about your daddy. Well, if you came looking for him, I'm afraid he's not here. He's already been delivered to... a certain creditor. But don't worry. I'll make sure you see each other before your deaths."

He looked over the group, and for the first time, his gaze fell to Bolin and Mako. "Ah, you must be new recruits. Don’t think I've seen you around before, but nice work."

Tenna stiffened. The man she'd called 459 narrowed his eyes. "They claimed to know you already, sir. Said they were part of an elite force that I and your underlings were unaware of."

The gleeful expression on Tomas' face quickly turned sour. "And you believed a ridiculous lie like that?"

"I... they had a weapon..." He locked eyes with Tenna. For a moment, Izumi saw the regret in her face. She didn’t want to fight him. But they had to. There was no other choice. 459's face contorted with anger.

"Defective weapon," he hissed. "You're just another Pike, aren't you?"

Now Tenna's face filled with rage. "Her name was P'li. And she was not an object." She gritted her teeth. Then, with a single pull of the correct rope, she undid all the knots that held her supposed captors still. "And I am no object, either."

"Kill them!" Tomas screamed. He reached forward and grabbed Izumi's arm, presumably to pull her out of the fire or use her as a hostage. A blast of fire from Iroh blocked his move.

Izumi backed up. Iroh was already trying to get her to the door. "I don't need you to--" she began. 

"I know," he said. "But you've kept your secret this long. You shouldn't have to reveal it for a creep like him." 

She disagreed. Her son meant well, but by this time, she'd had enough. Enough of trying to hide her powers. Enough of giving up control. Iroh tried to lead her towards the door, only to just barely miss a combustion blast that shattered a hole in the marble floor at his feet. He backed out and tried for the staircase in the back instead. Bolin ran up beside them and created some helpful cover by turning a line of marble into... was that _lava_ behind them? 

She shook her head, hardly in a position to question what the ever-widening limits of what bending could do. Instead, she and Iroh hurried up the stairs while Mako, Bolin, Tenna, and Korra tried to bring down the combustionbender. 

Her uncle Tom-Tom didn't seem to have the sense to get out range himself. Instead, he kept himself by the combustionbender's side, sometimes peeking out from behind the huge man to yell an obvious command like "get them!"

With so many elements against him, the combustionbender really should have started losing quickly. Only he didn't. 

Tenna got off a good shot, bending one of her beams around her former comrade to aim straight at Tom-Tom. The weapon jumped back, shoving his master back with him. He then fired back a blast that did not bend, but left a hole in the floor nearly twice the size that Tenna's had. 

_His number was much lower than Tenna's,_ Izumi realized when she reached the loft. _Does that mean he's been training that much longer than her?_

It didn't seem to be an inaccurate assumption. The combustionbender was adept at taking advantage of his bending range while keeping his opponents at a distance. Mako's firebending couldn't touch him; he quickly resorted to lightning strikes. They were all deflected. Bolin sent a crack through the flooring, tinged with glowing red lava, but 459 jumped away from it before it even got close. Bolin tried a second and a third time, with the same result.

"Knock it off!" Mako snapped. "You'll bring the house down at that rate."

"Well, I'm doing the best I can!" Bolin yelled back. "Where's Korra?" 

An excellent question, though with less-than-excellent timing. The Avatar had been trying to take advantage of the distraction and get close enough to the combustionbender to fall within bloodbending range. As Mako and Bolin were pushed further and further back, finally forced to start retreating up the staircase, Korra made her move. Feet planted firmly, she reached forward and gritted her teeth. Izumi could see the shock in 459's face as his arms were yanked backwards. But he quickly fought back. Izumi could see Korra struggling to maintain her grip. 459 was able to turn his head just enough. His tattoo began to glow. 

Thankfully Korra didn't miss it. "Whoa!" she yelled, using airbending to hoist herself up and avoid the blast. Tom-Tom began cursing up a storm at this turn of events, ordering 459 to "just keep shooting 'til she's dead!"

A series of rapid-fire shots pounded into the floor, each one barely missing Korra as she leapt and avoided them in a way that certainly would have made Aang pound. 

Then, one shot went over Korra's head. Izumi looked over to see Tenna balancing on the railing. When had she even gotten up there? She wasn't as fast as her former comrade, though, and not nearly as accurate. He returned a beam that she had to tumble to avoid. A shattered chunk of railing pummeled her in the side, and she cried out in pain. 

"Okay, stopping this guy from blasting us to bits would be really useful right now!" Bolin yelled at Korra. 

"I tried!" Korra yelled back. "He still fires, even when I hold him still!"

She had backed all the way up the steps now, and Tenna moved to whisper in her ear, "He has to take a breath first. The longer the breath, the farther the beam will go." 

"So you're saying... I have to make him stop breathing?" Korra hissed. "I can’t do that!" Another blast shattered a chunk of railing. Izumi winced. This was the problem with Korra, the problem she'd had since the beginning. She said she wanted to master bloodbending, but she was never willing to use it, really use it, when she needed to. She didn't have the confidence that she could disable without killing, and that made her hesitate. 

But Izumi was confident. She had to be. 

459 was moving closer towards them now. With nothing but a line of huge windows at their backs, and only two skinny staircases as a way to get back to the bottom level, they were effectively trapped. Iroh stood beside his mother, still trying to shield her. She stepped out from behind him. 

"Mother..." he began, but she shook her head. 

"I appreciate what you're trying to do," she said. "But I think the Avatar was right."

"I was?" Korra said, confused. 

Izumi nodded. "I can't keep holding onto my secret at the expense of others." She nodded at Korra. "Don't worry. He'll be okay."

She stood out in full view. The combustionbender was still just out of bloodbending range for Korra. But a few more steps and Izumi was perfectly in range. She held out her hands. 

At first, his whole body tensed, confusion rushing over his face. Then she heard the small, shallow gasps as he tried to expand his lungs for air, but couldn't. He froze in his place, grabbing his throat. 

"What the--?" Tom-Tom ran up. It didn't take him very long to look between his weapon and Izumi to figure out what was going on. But instead of expressing shock or fear, he just laughed. So hard Izumi thought he might choke on his own spit. "Oh, your daddy passed on _that_ little trick to you? And you've been hiding it all this time?" He threw his head back and somehow managed to laugh harder. "Oh, this is too precious. I can't wait to bring your corpse to your father."

He pointed and yelled at 459, "Shoot her!"

But of course, the man couldn't. Izumi watched him stumble as he kept trying to draw in more of a breath, but he failed every time. He'd been getting dizzy soon. Just a little bit longer and he'd pass out from the lack of air. But Izumi wouldn't let him die. He'd been used, just like Tenna had. She wasn't sure how, but they'd find a way to help him. 

Seeing his best defense not acting on command made Tom-Tom shake with rage. 

"She's right there, you fool!" he screamed. He jabbed his finger in Izumi's direction, as if he could kill her just by proving her existence. "Shoot her! Shoot! Her!"

Izumi watched her uncle's hysterics with a bizarre fascination. Was the man completely mad? Didn't he realize he'd already lost? Tenna's attention, however, didn't seem to be on Tom-Tom. She was watching the combustionbender, and whispering in a horrified voice. "He's going to... he can't be trying..." Izumi took a quick glance at the combustionbender. His tattoo had started to glow.

"Get out!" Tenna screamed. No one took any time to doubt her. Each person dutifully threw themselves back against the window. Glass shattered around them and Izumi felt herself falling. She had to slow herself down or she'd be hurt. Had to slow everyone down or they'd be hurt. With fleck of glass sprinkling past them like snow, she focused her powers on herself and the five bodies around her. 

_Fall slower. Fall slower._

She felt like a waterbender trying to hold back an ocean. And yet she seemed to be having some success. The shards of glass seemed to be going past them more quickly, the ground approaching more slowly. Every muscle in Izumi's body strained; her mind felt as if it were aflame. She looked around to see that the Avatar was struggling as much as she was. And it brought just the smallest sensation of relief. Eventually, though, she couldn't maintain her hold anymore and had to release everyone. They all fell about four feet at most to the soft grass while an explosion erupted from the mansion's shattered windows.


	37. Final Warning

Once they touched ground, Izumi quickly got to her feet, as did everyone else.

Of course, the large explosion drew attention. It would have been highly convenient if they could have somehow managed a silent explosion as part of the victory, but seeing as how Izumi was grateful just to be alive at the moment, she wasn't about to complain.

It was clear the three bloodbenders who came running for them were only patrol and ready to react to disturbances. They all came in at the exact same time from three different angles. Izumi didn't take up a fighting stance just yet, but she kept one hand raised just in case. Behind her, she heard Tenna groan in pain, while Bolin said something to reassure her. This was followed by a quick, "I'm fine, I'm fine!" The girl's voice still sounded shaky, though. Maybe there was more than just physical pain there.

_Considering she just saw one of her own kill himself, I'm impressed she's standing at all._

As the bloodbenders closed in and formed a triangle around the group, Izumi recognized one of them as the guy who'd tried to stop them from seeing Tom-Tom to begin with. The other two were female and unfamiliar.

"What happened?" the guy barked. Then, to one of the women beside him, he snapped, "Go check on the boss! Now!"

"No need for that," said Korra, stepping up to speak for the group in true Avatar fashion. "He's dead."

"What?" The woman's voice sounded crushed, frightened. It only made sense. Tom-Tom was the wall between her and the punishment she'd endure for her traitorous actions. With him gone, she had good reason to be afraid.

"He was killed by his ally," Izumi said. "He attempted to combustionbend at us, but the shot backfired."

"The weapon failed?" the other woman gasped. Izumi gritted her teeth. That "weapon" nonsense was seriously grating on her. She couldn't imagine how it was making Tenna feel.

Now it was Iroh's turn to speak up. "Listen up," he said, as if these three were his underlings and not those of the man who'd been trying to kill him. "Your leader has fallen. If you surrender the town quietly, we will make sure to treat you with mercy."

"You think we're going to surrender just like that?" the bloodbending man asked. "Tomas promised us everything -- fortune, land, better lives for ourselves. And we know Lord Zuko's already been taken to the boat. You're the ones who've got something to lose here, not us!"

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? I think you're wrong about that. Because I've got a team of my finest soldiers from the United Republic alongside the entire Fire Nation army ready to move in and take this town back." He narrowed his eyes. "You say you have nothing to lose. Do your lives count as nothing?"

The man, who'd had his hands up ready to start bending, now lowered them once again. "You... don't command the Fire Nation army," he said.

Iroh smirked. "Ah, that's right." He turned to Izumi. "Mother?"

"Yes, dear?"

"May I borrow your army to retake Sunport?"

"Of course, son. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will." He turned back to the bloodbenders, full of confidence and authority. "Surrender. Now."

The bloodbenders obediently put up their hands in surrender. Iroh smiled and cleared his throat. "We'll require a boat, nothing too elaborate, you understand. Ah, and one of my lieutenants should have a certain young eel-hound with her that we'll need to pick up."

\----

On their way to the dock, Korra kept playing fetch with Shadow much to everyone's amusement. Tenna was grateful for the distraction. Shadow may have grown big enough to ride, but he still had tons of puppy energy and the attention-span of a gnat-fly. She would need him calmed and focused (or at the very least not inclined to investigate everything that moved) if she had any hope of controlling him during her mission to rescue Zuko.

The truth was, Tenna wasn’t just grateful for Shadow’s sake. To say that Mortar’s death unnerved her was putting it mildy. She hadn’t let anyone see her distress, of course. When the time came to board the little boat, now sporting a flag with the late Tom-Tom's family crest, Tenna avoided joining everyone on deck. Instead, she slipped away under the pretense of darning her black mercenary leathers and equipping herself with a new dagger, water skins, lock picks, and other tools.

"I know you can do this," Iroh was saying to Bolin when she re-emerged. "The army and I will stay here and make sure the citizens of Sunport are safe. You've got my great uncle's motorboat to take out there. And these waters are well-known for eel-hounds. They shouldn't suspect anything until you're right near them." He patted Bolin on the shoulder.

Tenna drew in a slow breath. Ember Island was in their sights and she had to be at the ready in case Iroh's strategy failed and she and Shadow had to put up a fight to get Zuko to safety.

She put on a convincing act, standing by the shore while Iroh prepped the boat, staring calmly out over the waves, and watching the sunset. But apparently it wasn't convincing enough for Bolin. He stepped up beside her and rested one arm across her back. She ignored the slight twinge in her side, focusing instead on his voice as he muttered.

"I’m sorry, about your friend."

"He wasn’t a friend. I barely knew him. Still...he didn’t deserve--" Her voice caught. P’Li didn’t deserve her fate either. Nor did the hundreds upon hundreds of ‘weaponized’ children who had broken even before they could receive their numbers. All of their deaths had been horrific and painful. Tenna knew this all along. Even back when she was under Jerkface’s thumb she had known, deep down, that she would probably die the same way. But she was to busy focusing on missions, on survival, to think about it then.

Or maybe... maybe that was just her excuse not to think about it. She didn’t have that option anymore. Not after what Mortar had been forced to do. Not now that she was more then a weapon. She swallowed hard. "That could have been me you know," she whispered. "If you hadn’t helped me..."

Bolin’s muscles tensed. He moved his grip to her shoulders, slowly turning her to face him. His expression was serious.

"No. That would never happen." 

"How can you be so sure?" She hated how frightened she sounded. Like she was seven-years-old again.

Bolin ran his fingers through her hair, resting his hand on her cheek before tilting her face up so they were staring eye to eye.

"Because you’re tenacious."

She leaned into his touch which was warm against her cheek. He was right of course. Even as a newly forged weapon she had been wild and stubborn. And though her outbursts had grown quieter as she grew older, her defiance hadn’t. She broke protocol for years by keeping Shouga as a travel companion. She shot at Crull when he tried to bloodbend her. And after Bolin brought her to the palace she blackmailed the Firelord, nearly killed the Avatar and tamed a dragon. Even now she was committing the ultimate defiance--not just forsaking her training to rediscover her humanity, but using that raining against the very man who she once called master. If there was ever a time to doubt herself, this was not it. Her friends were counting on her, risking their own lives, so she could carry out her mission. And that mission was to save Lord Zuko’s life.

"Thanks Bolin," she said, bringing up her hand to rest on his, "I needed that."

"Ah-hem," someone coughed, deliberately loud, startling Tenna and Bolin apart. Mako (what a surprise) stepped into view. He was annoyed, Tenna could see. That said, he was actually trying very hard not to let it show which wasn’t like him. 

"It’s time," he said.

"Right."

She and Bolin started to follow Mako to the dock where Izumi and Korra were already waiting with Shadow. The eel-hound _gaaurreed_ a greeting to her as she approached. And still, she felt herself pause.

Bolin saw her hesitate and he quickly turned back.

"I know you can do this," he assured her.

"I know," she hesitated. "It’s not that."

"Did you need something then? More supplies?" He indicated the dagger on her belt.

"No. I have everything I need."

She drew a long breath and exhaled it slowly. The truth was there was one more thing she wanted. Something she had wanted for a while now but hadn’t known how to ask. Bolin was sensitive, still recovering from old wounds. She hadn’t wanted to push him. Or maybe she had had been afraid to. But now, with this battle before her... this was no time for fear.

"Actually, there is... one thing, Bolin."

"What is--?" He barely got the words out before Tenna kissed him. She felt him tense with surprise, saw his eyes widen. Then... was that? Yes. The look in his eyes. The look she could never understand. She did now.

 _I love him,_ she realized as her eyes closed and he wrapped her in his arms. _And he... he loves me, too._

\----

Once the ship had left land, Korra found herself pacing endlessly about the deck. _Asami would probably tell me to meditate or something,_ she thought. Asami was always giving helpful advice like that. "Calm down, Korra." "Slow down and think before you smack that guy in the jaw, Korra." And the classic, "No, Korra, bending stuff doesn't solve everything." 

Korra paused from her pacing and took a deep sigh. Maybe if she meditated into the spirit world, she could talk to Iroh. Not Iroh the-general-leading-them-into-battle-now Iroh, but his namesake. Zuko's uncle. This was his nation at stake, after all. Surely he would have some words of wisdom for her. 

She found a quiet corner of the boat, sat down cross-legged, and pressed her fists together. Reluctantly, she let her eyes close and her breathing slow. They were going to make it. They would find Zuko. Everything would be fine. She only needed to focus. 

The sounds of waves crashing against the boat vanished, and Korra opened her eyes with a gasp. Looking around, she found herself sitting in a meadow of pink and purple puffballs. A strange mist emerged from the ground and she quickly got her feet. 

_I'm in the spirit world already,_ she thought, feeling pretty proud over the fact, _I must be getting better at this._ She slowly turned in a circle to get her bearings. It looked like she was standing on top of a cloud that stretched in all directions. To her great suprise (and excitement), a figure emerged from the mists that was most definitely Iroh. Korra stepped forward to greet him, only to be stopped in her tracks. Another figure stepped into view next to Iroh, and the sight of him made Korra's blood run cold. 

_Zaheer!_ Seriously, what _was_ it with this guy and bothering her so much? "Iroh! Look out behind you!" Korra yelled. She got ready to firebend at Zaheer, only to quickly remember that it wouldn't work. She continued charging him, fist ready, and he easily avoided the attack by vanishing and reappearing on Iroh's opposite side. 

Iroh held up his hands. "Please, Korra. Calm down. I intended for him to be here." 

"Um, you _what_ now?" Korra lowered her arms. This couldn't be happening. She'd seen a lot of crazy things in the sprit world, but talking to one of her greatest mentors and one of her worst enemies at the same time? That was too much. 

"There is a saying in the Fire Nation," Iroh went on, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." 

Zaheer massaged the bridge of his nose. "Everyone in the _world_ says that." 

"Yes," Iroh agreed with a grin, "but the people of the Fire Nation say it best." He waved his hands, and a table materialized out of nowhere, along with a pot of tea on a burner and a set of cups. Zaheer eyed the setup as if he expected the teacups to attack him. 

"I know there is much on your mind right now, Korra," said Iroh. "And I apologize for coming to speak with you at such a time."

Korra shrugged her shoulders and tried not to let on how insanely uncomfortable she was right now. "It's... fine," she said. "I mean, I'm sure whatever you have to say, it must be pretty important."

"Indeed, it is," Iroh said. He motioned again and the teapot floated into the air, hovering around the table and pouring a bit of its contents into each cup. The scent of jasmine was rich in the air, and a few spirit creatures appeared out of the clouds to sniff at the offering. "Please, sit," he said. 

Korra did. Zaheer did as well, making a point of being as far from Iroh as possible. 

"Now then," Iroh said, taking a sip from his cup. "Do you know how bending first came into the world?" 

_Really?_ It wasn't that Korra didn't trust Iroh's judgment, but sometimes it seemed like he forgot just how quickly time was going by in the physical world. But, the sooner she answered his questions, the sooner the man would get to his point. "Sure. The lion turtles gave it to people."

She expected Iroh to be pleasantly surprised at her knowledge, but instead he shook his head as if in pity at her ignorance. "They were indeed one source of acquiring bending. But they were not the only source."

As he spoke, a silvery spirit that looked like a spider with a feline face crawled up and lapped at the tea that was probably meant to be Zaheer's. 

"Let me ask you this," Iroh went on, "Which creatures were the original earthbenders?"

"The badgermoles, of course," Korra answered. 

"Very good. And the original airbenders?"

"The sky bison."

"Excellent. The original firebenders?"

"The dragons." 

Iroh nodded. "And the original waterbenders?"

Korra opened her mouth to reply, but realized she didn't have an immediate answer. Iroh waited patiently while her brain searched through her old history lessons. 

"That would be... Tui and La, right?" she said. "The koi fish?"

"Correct," Iroh said with a grin, "But you know their tale, don't you?"

"Yeah," Korra said. "They were spirits that came to live permanently in the physical world."

"Exactly. So, what do you think the sky bison, the badgermoles, and the dragons are?"

Korra's jaw went slack. "They... came from the spirit world too?"

Zaheer finally stopped standing there with his arms crossed and sat down with everyone else. "All bending comes from inside those portals," he said, leaning forward onto the table, "but the two worlds affect each other."

"Yes," Iroh said, like he and Zaheer had just planned this talk out. "As humans advance both our technology and our bending, new spirits are born into the spirit world to reflect that." He motioned to the spider spirit, which looked up and purred in their direction. "This little one, for example, if he were to take a physical form, would be a natural metalbender. However, in spirit form, he can do more. He could pass right through a human and grant metalbending to them."

A spirit just granting bending out of nowhere? Some years ago, Korra might have balked at the idea. But so much had changed since then. "Like... what I saw in my flashback to Wan," she said. She then quickly realized that Iroh and Zaheer probably had no clue what she was talking about, but continued thinking aloud all the same. "Some aye-aye spirit took over a human for a few seconds. He left, but the human looked different... like he had some of the spirit's physical traits." 

"Such things did not just happen in the distant past," said Iroh, "In fact, only a few years ago, a rush of spirits passed through humans, leaving behind bending in people who had none before."

Korra's eyes widened. "Harmonic convergence?"

"Exactly. You opening the portals motivated the spirits to try to reconnect with humans in the most basic way they knew how. The sky bison exited first, but others soon followed in their footsteps, including this little one." He motioned back to the spider, which had emptied the cup. It yawned and curled its legs into what Korra could only assume was a sleeping position. 

"Yes, it was all beautiful and majestic," Zaheer said. "Except that harmonic convergence ultimately caused even more friction among humans. And it's been causing spirits to leave the physical world and retreat to their home world."

Korra glared at him. "Right. And none of that friction was caused by you, right?" 

The look on Zaheer's face told her he was more than aware of his own part in all this and hated himself for it. "You're looking to blame me, and you don't even know what's at stake. Kuvira ravaged the spirit-and-human relationship with her weapon. And now these airbenders are using their gift to attack the Fire Nation, just as Sozin did to their people over a century ago. If this keeps up, the spirits might permanently give up on humans and fully retreat to their old world." 

"Right, I get it," Korra said with a groan. "Defeat this evil airbender guy and take back Sunport or awful spirity stuff will happen. If you'd stop talking to me, I could leave and do this faster." 

"Korra." Iroh stood up from the table, lines of worry eating away at his usual carefree expression. "It is not just Sunport the man is after. I fear for the safety of my entire nation." 

"H-How...? What is he planning to do?" Korra asked. 

Iroh shook his head sadly. "I don't know. All I know is, the spirits closest to the Fire Nation are very uneasy right now. They sense there is going to be a terrible tragedy. Many have fled the physical world already."

"Funny how spirit world stuff is always conveniently vague," Korra muttered.

"Funny how the bridge between worlds has no respect for spirits," Zaheer countered.

"You know, I don't even know why you're here!" Korra said, standing up and stamping her foot. It didn't make much of a sound, considering they were on a cloud, but it felt satisfying all the same. "Did you just tag along to annoy me?"

"I have a stake in this, too," Zaheer said, seemingly perfectly content to keep sitting at the table. "If the spirits fully retreat from the spirit world, there will be no more entering for humans, except through the portals."

"You mean, no more meditation into the spirit world?" Korra asked. 

Zaheer nodded. "I sensed the same thing Iroh did, and when he mentioned contacting you, I asked to come as well. The spirit world is the only thing giving me an anchor... some semblance of sanity in that prison."

 _So you came for purely selfish reasons,_ Korra wanted to say, but kept quiet. Instead, she turned to Iroh. "I promise, I'll do whatever I can to stop this."

"You may not be able to," Iroh warned. "Even if you rescue the Fire Nation, our relationship with the spirits may not be mended. The result could be the same." 

Korra walked away from the table, her back to both men. She'd had enough worrying about the what ifs. Enough talking in general, actually. "It doesn't matter. I still have to fight like I plan to win everything back." And with that, she vanished from the spirit world and returned to her body in the physical one. The shore they had left what seemed like a moment ago was far behind them. It wouldn't be long now.


	38. Final Warning

"Okay, I confess, I know I might be a bit out of the loop here..." Bolin said. The motorboat was bumping across the waves, and he was trying to strike a balance between maintaining some element of surprise and still talking loud enough to be heard over the motor. He pointed at the vast ocean ahead of them where a small warship could be seen holding its position a few miles out from the Sunport dock. Behind it sat a smaller vessel. The two flew the same flag -- that of the old air nomads -- but the smaller one was tucked in the bigger one's shadow. 

"So, um, could someone tell me how we know that Zuko's on that little guy, and not that big guy?" He pointed to each one in turn. 

"The bloodbender said a boat, not a ship," Mako reminded his brother. "That's a ship." He pointed to the larger vessel, not only bigger in size, but also bigger on the weapons. Bolin could see gun barrels glistening from here. 

"Yeah, and above it..." Bolin said, pointing to the sky. "That's an _air_ ship. I think we're getting in way over our heads here."

Izumi had to admit, seeing that their enemy had some method of air travel, even if it was only one machine, didn't make her feel terribly confident. Not to mention the flags of the Air Nomads. Who would use those old designs? Did they think that putting up the symbols of the pacifist monks would stop anyone from attacking them?

Korra punched her fist. "We didn't come this far to leave Lord Zuko behind. We're going in." 

Bolin nodded nervously, but he still didn't really very confident about this whole thing. Though, by looking at Tenna, neither did she. She at least had some companionship in Shadow, now. 

"All of you will distract the main ship," Tenna said, patting Shadow's head and then scratching him under the chin. I'll try to make this quick." She glanced at Izumi, for a second, taking in all the worry etched in the Firelord's face. "I will bring him back safely," she said. "I promise."

Watch yourself out there," said Izumi in her best Firelord voice. "And remember my father is ninety-one years old. He's not as strong as he used to be."

Tenna nodded. "I understand." 

"Good luck," said Korra. 

"Yeah, what she said," Mako chimed in. He cleared his throat. "Oh, and don't do anything stupid. Like get yourself killed." 

"Same to you." 

She made a quick check of Shadow's halter and saddle, both barely visible against his jet-black hide. Then, after a final, lingering look at Bolin she urged Shadow into the water and quickly followed after him. Clinging to his back in her dark clothes, she was barely visible, even to everyone on the boat. The eel-hound hurried off to the boat where Zuko was being held, while the big baddie ship that Bolin was supposed to help distract loomed closer and closer. 

_Okay, Bolin time. Bolin time._

Bolin wasn't insulted that he'd been asked to join the group in charge of distracting the guys on the ships. Lord Zuko's actual rescue party was only one person large, and it was Tenna. That made total sense. 

But those enemies they at least had some information on. He had to admit, he was a bit nervous about going in and grabbing the attention of a bunch of evil dudes he knew nothing about. 

He slapped both his cheeks and shook his head. He'd been the one to come up with the plan that defeat Sir Tomas, hadn't he? He could come up with something for this, too. It just needed some flair. Some drama. In the movers, Varrick accomplished these things with lots of props, harnesses, and off-screen voice actors. Bolin would have to make do with what he had. 

"Hey, Firelord, ma'am?" he whispered to Firelord Izumi. She glanced his way, looking slightly annoyed, but nearly as much as she had been before the whole defeating-her-evil-uncle thing.

"Well, I was thinking..." Bolin began. "That was a pretty cool thing you did back at Tom-Tom's... stopping us all from falling to our deaths and whatnot."

"Wait a sec," Korra hissed, "I was helping with that, too."

"You were? Oh, well then, both of you guys were cool. Girls. Women... were cool. Anyways, my point is, could you do it again?"

"Do what again?"

"Y'know..." He made a soaring motion with his hands. "Whoosh! Big entrance!"

Korra looked at him like he was a moron, and Izumi readjusted her glasses. He was pretty sure Tenna had mentioned something about that being a good sign. 

"Well, we've already had one of your ridiculous plans work today," she said. "Let's try it."

\----

While the rest of the group stayed on their boat for the time being, Bolin flexed his muscles and prepared a classic Nuktuk pose. Korra stood behind him, ready to boost him up on a geyser of water, while Izumi readied herself to bloodbend him into flying across the deck like... like a lemur. Or a dragon. He liked dragons. 

"One... two..." Korra whispered. "Go!" The water erupted beneath him. It wasn't easy to keep his balance, and he almost toppled backwards. Then he felt his body righting itself. The water fell back from beneath him and he was floating a few feet above the deck with no less than a dozen crewmen staring wide-eyes at him. 

This was, he had to admit, pretty epic. 

Bolin cleared his throat and began to sing at the top of his lungs, "Ohhh... _who's gonna fight for friends and freedom? Nuktuk!"_

He stuck his fist out and went flying forward. 

_"He's the biggest, baddest, bending-ist man I know!"_

The crew screamed and took cover.

_"Who protects the Fire Nation? Nuktuk!"_

Another series of geysers erupted behind him. 

_"Battling baddies wherever they may go!"_

One by one, Mako, Izumi, and Korra were boosted onto the deck. Bolin pointed at the closet sailor, who was still cowering on the deck floor. 

"When, um... _When whoever-you-guys-are start trouble, I'll punch you in the mouth!"_

Korra made a flourishing series of waterbending moves that caused a wave to grab the cowering guy and yank him over the edge of the ship. 

_"I'm Nuktuk, Hero of the Souuuuuth!"_

Bolin flexed his arms one last time for good measure. Looking around it seemed the performance had mixed reviews. Several of the crew were trying to help themselves off the boat, while more seemed interested in taking up the part of Unalaq. Oh, and there were boats. More boats turning in their direction. Bolin took a deep breath. He had a few rocks in his pocket that Tenna had helpfully suggested he take with him. Time to put those rocks to good use.

\----

Scaling the side of a wet ship while it was rocking in the harbor was not the easiest feat in the world. The layer of moist grime felt like it was trying to pry Tenna's fingers off each time her hands found a new hold. Then there was the ship itself, which groaned and shifted like she was some sort of biting leech-flea it need to shake off. 

Still, she'd managed more difficult things in her life. With a final push of her muscles, she hoisted herself up over the edge and got a clear look at the situation. 

Three of Zuko's original five guards had already moved far enough from the posts to watch Bolin that she could easily sneak in and cut the ropes without them even noticing. All of the guards were tensed, well aware of the fact that their charges were exactly what the attackers were after. Fuse experimentally tried to direct her chi to fire a combustion beam, but no energy flowed. Made sense; the voidbender was still very close. She needed to know the girl's precise range. Fuse continued to shimmy along the side of the boat until she felt the heat pulsing in her forehead, ready for her to fire at will. The girl's range was actually shorter than she expected. She could use this as well. For now, she needed to get those last two guards away. She looked down at the ship's side and fired a blast as far as she could. It hit the water, shooting a plume of water into the air. She then pulled herself up onto the ship as one guard ran to see what had caused the explosion. 

_Never leave only one guard,_ she thought. Then, with a solid blow to the back of the head, he brought him down without a sound. She then quickly pulled her dagger and began slicing through the ropes that bound Nanami and Zuko. 

Zuko looked terrible. She'd never seen the man up close herself, though she recognized his infamous scar quickly enough. Zuko was well known for his diplomatic missions throughout the nations, riding around on a dragon, and twice putting up a battle against Pike and her allies. The man in front of her now didn't look like he could go for a stroll without collapsing. His breathing was shallow, his skin sickly pale. His lips were dried and cracked, even though his whole body reeked of sweat. Still, he managed to lift his head enough to look her in the face. His eyes narrowed at her forehead.

"That mark..." he said in a whisper. Not as if he needed to keep low for the distracted guards, but as if it was as loud as he could speak. "Did my daughter hire you?"

 _Hire me? As if weapons get payment for anything?_ She shouldn't have let his words sting so much. Maybe he really didn't know all the details of where her mark came from. But he needed to know. 

"I volunteered," she hissed back, working her blade through the last strings of the rope. She caught it in her hands as it fell, dulling its thud against the deck. Bolin's voice still rang out on the other ship, and she could see the guards pointing and chatting amongst themselves. She wouldn't be lucky forever. At some point, they'd walk back here. She had to get out quickly. 

With the rope loose, the voidbender stood and stepped away, seeming perfectly aware how far she had to get for Zuko to be out of her range. Without the rope holding him against the mast any longer, however, Zuko began to fall forward. Tenna caught him by the shoulders. 

_Dehydration,_ Tenna quickly realized. _The technique used to disable waterbenders works on his bloodbending, too._

"It's not me," Nanami whispered, taking a few more steps back to emphasize her point. 

"I know," Tenna said, reaching for her water skin. 

Zuko's fingers flexed and he clawed at the empty air as if trying desperately to pick up some invisible object. He started to get to his feet, only to have his legs give out from under him, forcing Tenna to catch him again. 

This time, the noise was too much. The four guards turned, quickly noted their fallen comrade, and all four of them reached for their weapons. One looked poised to bloodbend. Fuse gritted her teeth. 

"If we survive this, you and I need to have a little talk," she said in Zuko's direction. "You, there!" This time, she called to Nanami. "I could use some help here." 

The girl was already in motion. She sprinted far enough forward that she could block the guards' bending, but left enough space so Tenna was free to use hers. 

Under Tenna's careful aim, the deck railing exploded, knocking two of the guards out and sending splinters of wood raining down all around them. 

_That's going to draw some attention,_ she thought bitterly. This wasn't how things were supposed to go down. But she had to work with what she had. She prepared herself for hand-to-hand combat with the last two guards, when suddenly, someone else did it for her. It happened so fast, an untrained eye might have seen a black pool of oil slipping itself onto the deck and knocking the guards cold with the force of its blow. 

Only this wasn't some supernatural goo. It was the slick, muscular body of Shadow. 

"Good boy," Tenna said, grinning. The eel hound gurgled with self-satisfaction. It wasn't quite time to celebrate yet, though. She still hadn't completed her mission. 

With no one trying to murder her this time, Tenna removed one of the two water skins from her belt. She twisted one open and held it towards Zuko's lips.

He made the grasping motion again and, with a great amount of effort, it seemed, lifted his arm enough to grasp the water skin and guzzle from it greedily. Some of the water escaped in lines over his cracked lips and dripped into his matted beard. He took no notice. By the time the water skin had been emptied, Zuko's breathing seemed a bit more normal and he was able to lower his arm with a much smoother motion than before. 

"We need to get you out of here," Tenna said. She could already hear scrambling footsteps from below deck. They were about to have a whole lot of company. "Do you think you could hold onto my eel hound while he's in the water?"

"Get me out of this robe that's making me look like a red and gold cactus, and I should be fine," Zuko muttered. His hands moved with a bit more fluidity, but he still stumbled as he tried to get to his feet. Tenna rolled her eyes. She could see now where Izumi got her stubborn streak. 

"I have another water skin," she said, reaching for her belt. "Why don't you take that first?" Zuko grumbled, but took her offering nonetheless. 

"You won't get too cold in the water, will you?" she asked. 

"Cold?" Zuko asked with an insulted tone. "Try swimming through the ocean in the Northern Water Tribe. Now that's cold." He went back to downing the rest of her water supply.

"I want to help, too," Nanami announced. Well, Tenna could hardly say she was opposed to that idea. She just needed to figure out where the girl could work at her best. 

"Think you can drive this ship?" she asked. 

Nanami crossed her arms. "Uh... not unless you want me to crash it."

"Believe it or not, that is precisely what I'd like you to do." Tenna couldn't resist a grin as she added, "Also, if you're feeling generous, I think there's a certain United Nations general who could use your skills."


End file.
